shedwiththoughtsand
The pinnacle of vehIcles IS to e 1111
finished with things.
The pinnacle of vehIcles IS to e 1111
finished with things.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
h dala may change pOSltlOns.
foremost figure In t e mat. :l. Th
. a or final punctuation
. Concernlllg
e vlsarg J I the dlscnmznatzve a
k (. )
mar s tlg
t
h passage
e . . ' . . wareness
through
•
whIch
f h
15) the Indian manuscript 0 t e names are applted v . . ti 1279 Siltri (thread) is the Secret Nucleus reads ') Suryaprabhasirpha's
Sanskrit word for thlg lllJe [tig as being Commentary [on the Secret uc
. ) h' Tig is an archaiClsm. . h equlvalent to t 19. [which is found In t e
As for the reference to other later on, such as Secret Nucleus): all the tanthras;xp ation of the Real which
the Hevajra, also refer to t e umm had been delivered first.
The Root Tantra o/the Secret Nucleus 917
5 The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition, and its Impact on the Other Schools
[771. 1-786. 4] Furthermore, in the period following the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, one called the "Red Master" and another called the "Blue-skirted Pa1). <:iita" came from India to Tibet, where, for the sake of riches and honour, they propagated practices involving public orgies and slaughter in the villages. 1282 Because many Tibetans entered their following, Lha Lama, uncle and nephew, as well as the translator Rincen Zangpo and others explained, in the epistles of re- futation which they authored in order to prevent harm to the teaching, that these were perversions of the mantra tradition. 1283 The translators of the new schools repeatedly declared, in order to prove the greatness of their own doctrines, that the transmitted precepts of the way of the secret mantra according to the Ancient Translation School had been polluted, owing to which ill-informed persons were carried off on the stretcher of doubt. But, in fact, it may be known from the preceding history how the continuous blessings of this succession of tantras,
transmissions, and esoteric instructions have been preserved without decline.
In brief, when the doctrine was persecuted by Langdarma all the dialectical seminaries were destroyed, but the hermitages of the mantra tradition survived somewhat in mountainous ravines, caves, and so forth. For that reason, and in accord with the promise which Langdarma himself made to Nupcen [po 612], the mantrins were never harmed at all. During those times a multitude of excellent awareness-holders, who had mastery over the two accomplishments, continued to maintain the teaching of the three inner classes of tantra. Their number included Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo, Ngenlam Cangcup Gyeitsen, most of the eight glorious disciples ofNyak Jfianakumara, Nupcen and his disciples, Rok Sakya Jungne, and Deshek Zurpoche.
As for how the supreme and common accomplishments were visibly disclosed, without fail, by those who experientially cultivated the tantras of the Ancient Translation School and the esoteric instructions com- posed by those who dwelt on the great level of the awareness-holders:
The Continuity ofth N .
there were . e yzngmapa Tradition 919
. seven sUccessIve generations f . .
Mipham Gonpo, who did so b 0 beginning with
C l a s s o f t h e G r e a t P e r f e c t i o n y o f t h e m s t r u c t i o n s o f t h e the lmeage which passed from seven generations in and so on, whose physical bodies df Zangpo to Dangma,
m o
hat was left behind n'0 1 ,earht quakes and various other miracles'
' argert anacub·t b . asses consisting of the five . 1 '. ecame [after cremation]
. .
mstructIOns on inner radiance e pat of the esoteric
the Supreme transformation b ssolved mto the rainbow body
, Ymeansofth h ' as many who emerged Innermost Spirituality;1284 as well
:vho had the discipline to as the three ancestral Zurs, mto space. e ead, and who bodily vanished
It is impossible, too to enu
rainbow body by the ;aths f all those who passed into the Perfection, as exemplified b e profound treasures of the Great
and the Northern [Treasure; of Perna Lingpa] late age, this may still be illustrated during this year, fifteenth cycle) the lord xample, m. 1883/4 (water
RIkdzm Perna DtidUl van· h d . among accomplIshed masters h h· ,ISemthebod f1·h1285 '
W en IS personal disciple the t fi y 0
. , r e a sure- mder R
1· h
Into Ig t. What was left
It can stIll be seen today D · h sIze, was taken to Dokam where d·. . unngtatsame . d '
of the great treasure-finder D. . . there were thirteen
rambow body 1286 F h UJom Lmgpa who attained th
. Urtermorever 1 e have been many Whom I rem 'b y c ose to the present day, there
h d· em er, Who were . . . . 1
Issolved into the rainbow bod . y perceived to
theIr bodies behind: Lingtsang Dza : leavmg even a trace of (wood pig year, sixteenth cYcle)-lfs7 rashl Ozer of? okam in 1935/6 Gyeltsen,in1937/8(fireoxyear). 1288f111follo;ed by hIS regent, Lodro
away at Mmdroling his remaI· . .
Ig t. Afterwards · k · ' angn DorJe, passed
b h·
. e md, . which was about six inches i n .
'ns
Namgyel in 1952/3 (water drago'n 0 by Derge Yilungpa Sonam In dd·· year
a ltIOn, one cannot number th . . . . .
the treasure-finder Dtijom Lin a. Do_se. Tnme Ozer, the Son of Wangmo; the Zhecen Gyeltsa g p , . aki Kunzang Chonyi Dekyong
Namgyel; the great
enpel NYIma· Cadrel K·· P ngwa, Gemang II, Thupwang T d· ' unga elden· L·
en zm; the great preceptor of D 1 ' ;ngter III, Gyurme Perna my . own supreme guides the zo (cen, ema Thekcok Loden; and Doqe; Khyapdak Gyurme'N d treasure-finder Zilnon Namkei
lampel Dewei Nyima Th . O? angpo; and the lord of the circle by sound bodies mostly vanished into light'
There were also
remams and relIcs. very many [Nying
oflearning, such as Rong masters] who traversed the
Ing of the doctrine, Longcen Ram. Chokl Zangpo and the all-knowing
level such as that of Naga- . Who planted their feet on a
rJuna and Asanga th
, e Supreme adornments
vanIshed
Diijom Lingpa
good [liberation]. 1291 The buddhas and bodhisattvas have acted solely as physicians on behalf of other sentient beings. With this intention the supremely learned Go Lotsawa Zhonupel has said [in the Blue Annals, p. 203]:
In general, after the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, there was not a single ordained monk in Central Tibet and Tsang for more than seventy years. However, there were many Nyingmapa mantra adepts who blessed their respective homelands with their distinctive practices. The householders had faith in them, delighted them with food and clothing, et cetera, and occasionally received the vase empowerment alone, whereby their minds gradually matured. Consequently, when those known as the six or eight men from Central Tibet and Tsang, [namely,] Lume and the others, arrived, countless temples and monastic com- munities were founded in every province and district. It became possible to enjoy, without decline, the transmitted precepts and treatises which had been translated in the past, during the time of the king and his ministers. Moreover, most of the many learned and accomplished individuals who appeared originated from the lineages of the Nyingmapa accomplished masters.
Just so, apart from some esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection which were composed by Indian masters such as Indrabhl1ti, Buddha- jfianapada, and Naropa, and which were dispersed throughout Tibet, most of the treatises, and so forth, composed by other accomplished masters were not even translated into Tibetan. These masters, being determined to preserve secrecy, would not leave even a trace of their supremely profound, esoteric instructions behind. So, let alone the issue of public teaching, because even the books were by and large sealed to be kept invisible, they could only be revealed in utter secrecy to one sole supremely fortunate disciple. So it was that, for example, Phamthingpa was familiar with Ndropd's Sky-farer (nd-ro mkha'-spyod), the mere name of which Marpa had never heard. Likewise, there are accounts [which hold that] the great pa1)9ita SakyasrI received VajrakIla from the great master Padmasambhava himself, and that Phadampa Sangye maintained the Great Perfection as his profoundest commitment. At a later date, the great accomplished master Santigupta received the transmitted exegeses, empowerments, and esoteric intructions of many tantrapitaka from master Padmasambhava in person. Santigupta's dis- ciples who came to Tibet related that he also propagated them in Draviga and other countries. 1292 In addition, there was the Great Perfection which Zhang Yudrakpa received directly from the master Padmasam-
bhava, the bodhisattva and Vimalamitra.
whose sublime intellects were fearless in the
. .
beautIfY1ng Jambudv1pa, d. . f th Sugata's doctrinal tradition. In encounter with t? e profun °the Medical Tantras (gso-dpyad
_
the ast:ee translator Vairocana, have
Yr·
rgyud-bzhz), translate
provided great sustenance for with] pro-
Moreover, [the traf deeds by means of the four found means for the 0 enrichment subjugation, and rites of enlightened actIvity: have famed for their wrath. Therefore, when some of h e been afflicted with most
greatness throughout the Land of t refuge directly or in- fearsome circumstances, they have a. 0 T lation'School. This is
. h C' 11 rs of the Anc1ent rans
directly, with t e 10 . owe . hou h Sakya Pa1)9ita cou
ld verified by direct eV1dence: for t theglatter began to fly into
defeat Haranandin through ·th the gnostic mantra of . D awhoboun1mW1 . ht
the sky 1t was arcarw h ld think how far-reaching IS t a VajrakHa. 1290 This being so, one \ ned activity associated with the teaching, which is possessed of en Ig fe . t nce] and the definitively
manifestly elevated [higher realms 0 eXlS e
atures
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 921
920
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
922 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
When the venerable Milarepa first received the Mental Class of the Great Perfection from Nup Khulungpa he could not become equipoised in awareness itself, and for the time being the doctrine and the individual seemed to go their own ways. 1293 Finally, on the basis of the venerable Marpa ofLhodrak's [teaching ofthe] inner heat, he attained accomplish- ment on the path of the Great Perfection, whereby all thoughts, all things are exhausted. This can be demonstrated by one of his own songs of indestructible reality, in which he says:
Stabbed in front by the Great Perfection, Stabbed in the back by the Great Seal,
I vomit the blood of instruction. . .
The venerable Karma Pakshi [Karmapa II], who had been Garap Dorje's disciple Toktsewa, remembered that previous life in which he had comprehended the six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. Owing to this, and to his study of the Great Perfection under Katokpa Campabum, and so on, he obtained accomplishment. The all-knowing Rangjung Dorje [Karmapa III] asserted himself to be the emanation of Vimalamitra and, having become the master of the teaching of the Innermost Spirituality, brought forth treasures of inten- tion as well. The great accomplished master Orgyenpa, the venera9le Gotsangpa, Yang-gonpa and others who realised sarpsura and nirvu1). a to be of the same savour [i. e. the adherents of the Drukpa Kagyti tradition] obtained accomplishment in the expanse of the Great Perfection, no matter upon which path they provisionally relied. [To affirm this] one should examine the innermost assertions of their respective intentions.
The glorious Sakyapa all attained accomplishment by relying upon the tradition of the ancient translations that was derived from the lineage of Khon Ltiiwangpo,1294 a direct disciple of master Padmasambhava; and Yangdak and VajrakIla were both adopted as the vital meditational deities of the Sakyapa. During that age, when those Tibetans with arrogant presumptions to scholarship sought to smear the ancient trans- lations, Yangdak and Vajrakfla were effulgently protected by their [Sakyapa] doctrine masters, who revered them for their purity and so had occasion to cause [their critics] to erase what they had written. The doctrine master Lama Tampa [Sonam Gyeltsen] attained manifest signs [of accomplishment] by relying on Vajrakfla, and he composed a recen- sion of it. In particular, the supreme holders of the Sakyapa teaching tradition, from Dakcen Lodro GyeItsen to Ktinpang Doringpa, Choje Tsharpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangcuk, et cetera, were directly or in- directly favoured and blessed by the great master Padmasambhava. Consequently, there were many who obtained accomplishment by the paths of the Ancient Translation School, including the Great Perfection. They can be known from their individual biographies and so forth, but it will not be possible to mention them [all] here.
The Continuity 01'th M 'J e
oreOver, even the instructions of th
N 0
yzngmapa Tradition 923
.
)
Path and Fruit which stem f h e precIOUS oral teaching of the [; h rom t e traditio f h .
act,t eexegesisofthestageof tO ns
lation School's Heruka G l per ectIOn found in the Ancient Tr:ns-
MO d hO apo, a tantra of th 1 f zn ,w Ich actually sets forth th e cyc e 0
Yangdak the
four obscurations, four paths fou; the four
four pulses, and four bodloe' B p systems, four deceases 'd s. ecause that IS d '
eVI ence has proven [the Path and F connected with this tantra
. so, valid rult] to be an esotenc Instruction
Again, there was the gre;t accom 10
tIOns directly from the Lord f , who could receIve prophetic declara-
whatever had to be done ThO ecret. s so make predictions about h' h V . . e esotenc Instruction h
w IC aJrapa1). i conferred on him . s on t e two stages path of the Great Perfection Th as an aural lIneage uphold the true great accomplished master re e Tsongkapa implored that
found view. The master asked doubts on the genuine, pro- Supreme Nectar-Elixir Dialogue of who delivered the
h aosNamkaGyeltsen,orLekiDoroe pIS edmaster? fLhodrakrenowned
says:
Z us- an bdud-rtsz sman-mchog), which
In order to attain the su rem r' '. .
of father Samantabhad:a th: whIch the Intention SamantabhadrI my th '0 heartfelt adVIce of mother
And also:
.
L Ikewlse:
. tIOn,
,-
highest' 1
and
the
-
. .
wn secret InJunc-
h
t roughtotherootsof . d' . .
es, t en cut '"
e vaJra- older's
pInnac e of the vehicl h
0
mIn s Inner radIance
o Leki Dorje! this, the em tess
fabricated by anyone It lOS P enbce? f awareness, was not
. wIt out aSlS unc d b'do from the very beginning W' h ,a 1 Ing
trivances about it, let it ri out con- attains buddhahood in th whoere It IS. DeVIatIOn then
.
e pnmordlally pure expanse. . .
This natural inner radiance is . . 0 emptiness, and yet spontaneousl Inseparable froI? ongInal
is unobstructed spirituality K y present. Its radIant aspect
without attaining to arises, cence. In its inseparabilit [f IS t at great coales- attained. . . y rom emptIness] buddhahood is
It says in the Elixir Drops ofthe C 0
(Phyag-na-rdo-rjeJi bskyed-rd bd Perfection of Vajrapani
zogs u -rtszJz thzg-pa): 0
Thhe deity of pristine cognition declared' T e unborn inc 0 bl .
I
,0ncelV a e expanse of reality
s ummpeded, unelaborate, and it appears as anything.
0
0 t at lIneage, are in
924
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. -
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 925 Let freedom from deeds and craving be your conduct;
And your result the abandonment of the wish to attain extrinsically
The buddha-body of reality, which is naturally within.
The eighty-four thousand doctrines of the vehicles, Their tantras, commentaries, and esoteric instructions Transcend what may be expressed;
But this drop of the nectar of esoteric instruction, Like refined and clarified butter,
Is the quintessence of all together.
As if it were lion's milk, the supreme essence, I offer it to you, Leki Dorje,
A supreme vessel, like a vase of gold. . .
This presents the doctrinal terminology of the Great Perfection with- out adulterating it with other philosophical systems. Hence, it was by this path that Leki Dorje obtained accomplishment. Above and beyond that, Je Guru [Tsongkapa himself], Tokden Jampel Gyamtso and others have explained that, except in the course of his presentations of the Madhyamaka and logical philosophies, the venerable Tsongkapa con- formed to the experiential cultivation of the Great Seal and Great Per- fection. This, in fact, can be learned by studying the Supreme Nectar- Elixir Dialogue, whereby his doubts on the view were resolved [when he queried] the great accomplished master Leki Dorje. This Dialogue by and large merits comparison with the Golden Rosary Dialogue from the Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)akinf(mkha'-'gro snying-thig-gi-zhus-lan gser-phreng). Had it been otherwise, Tsongkapa would not have had to rely upon that great accomplished master for merely the view that is an object of [intellectual] understanding, because his discernment with respect to conventional topics was as vast as the illumination of the sun and moon. Therefore, Jamgon Tsongkapa himself said:
In particular, when I received permission to write down the Supreme Elixir Dialogue, a Nectar Rosary, an esoteric instruc- tion which summarises the essence of the intention of the Conqueror and his sons, and which is the secret injunction of the sublime Vajrapa1). i, without interpolation, omission, or error, just as it was orally conferred by the Lord of Secrets, then:
The nectar-like speech of the Lord of Secrets Fulfilled the hopes of my mind.
I overcame the sickness of defilement,
And thought I had reached AlakavatI. 1296
Similarly, PaI). cen Lozang Ch6ki Gyeltsen wrote in his Guidebook to the Great Seal (phyag-chen-gyi khrid-yig):
Sarpsara n Whatever IS manliest In an
expanse. Moreover:
h'
lC g. r. l" of
d
,
0 different are primordIally pure. d of itselfdissolves in the unborn
h asp two be not destroye One will deviate from the medltatlVe cu tlvatlon
Ifdelusion's apparitions w
emptiness. .
If
Doctnnes appea Assertions that the five u
The five poisons to be Buddhahood to be obtaIned,
.
be not freed from mtellect,
rin dualistically cannot liberate you:
g b ddha-bodies are to be attaIned,
samsara to be renounced,
And . ref '
Are attachments to obtain value of the
If they're not cut 0 ff,yo
genuine nucleus. .
L k a blind man seeking the honzon, will wander forever in sarpsara's abodes.
Though you mentally hanker for that which surpasses the
intellect, l"b t you Mentally created doctrines cannot 1 era e d·
,,1295
. h" 11 ct's reach an range. "Theultimateisnot. WIt . mmbtefie .
shedwiththoughtsand
The pinnacle of vehIcles IS to e 1111
finished with things.
1 even the term "awareness
"
Do not app Y . d the buddha-body of reality, Toyourownmm ,
Which is no substance. . . d Be absorbed in the indiscernible mm ,
. fness and compasslOn ,
Whose nucleus IS emp 1 thought and expression.
The transcendence of utterandce,
Be absorbed in the transcen ence 0
Be totally absorbed in freedom from deeds.
d proof"
t "be absorbed" is the intellect's
Bu . "absorbed" or una sor e , Without the conventlOnS . f ee analytical grounds,
Without words, or express. lOnsll' r 's stilled in the expanse.
Like clouds that m the sky. Not renouncing discurslVe th. oughts, They are pure where they anse.
. editation, conduct and result:
As for Vlew, m . d attraction your Vlew,
Make freedom ctualising your meditation; Destruction of subJectlve mte e
. 1 apparent mte ect 1 .
The ana ytlca , , d ' ection vanish m space,
1
Refutation, proof, an re)
f the 'intellect.
b
b d"
' .
926
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
Although many different names have been gIVen - . G t Seal and Madhyamaka,
Great of and Pacification - Path and FruIt, lec .
When they are investigated by yo. gm Who has cultivated
He arrives at just one IntentIOn.
· eneral from the perspective of expenentIal
Such a statement, made m . .
cultivation,. gives rise to Peljor Lhtindrup: It was Concernmg the . venera Rikdzin Tshewang Norgye and upon by relying up? n hIS own h became a great lord of yoga, who
Sangye : Innermost Spirituality of t? e Great
stabIlIty on the pa h Guidebook which Introduces the Vzew Com-
6 On the Validity of the Treasures
PerfectIOn. He composed the . d Great Madhyamaka, et cetera, S 1 Great Perfectwn an . h' 1
[786. 4-790. 3] Similarly, concerning the Nyingmapa treasures, [it may be said that] all the tantrapitaka which were reportedly discovered in ancient India by the great accomplished master Sarahapada, Garap Dorje, Viriipa, Asvottama,1298 Nagarjuna, Padmakara, Saroruha, Lalitavajra, Carlndra, and so forth, were, in fact, treasure doctrines; for "treasure" is explained to mean something hidden, that is invisible to direct sensory perception for some time. Therefore, when, for the time being, no worthy recipients to whom the illustrative written tantras [could be transmitted] were found, they were sealed in the invisible expanse, where they were guarded and preserved by the gakinls. Then, those accomplished individuals were given prophetic declarations by their favoured deities and, when the time arrived, they were given permission and empowered by the host of gakinls in the great palaces of mantra, such as the Dharmagafiji in Oggiyana. Having released the seal of entrustment, they were given the volumes of the tantras, experi- entially cultivated them for themselves, and taught them somewhat to other worthy disciples.
In the same way, with reference to Tibet, the all-seeing master Pad- masambhava composed, on the basis of the profound and vast tan- trapitaka, each requisite for the path in its entirety, including means for attainment, ritual collections and esoteric instructions, for he knew the manner in which those requiring training would appear in the future. He arranged them in yellow scrolls as verbal tantras and en- trusted them to their respective non-human treasure lords in mountain ravines, rock-chests, wealth-filled lakes, and elsewhere. He then con- cealed them to be invisible along with their seals of entrustment which Were in the form of prayerful aspirations that they be discovered in the future by the worthy and fortunate individuals who were empowered to do so. At a later date, the power of those prayerful aspirations would awaken in the individuals endowed with suitable fortune. The indica- tions of the appropriate times and the prophetic declarations would come together, whereupon the great master would actually reveal his
mon to the Great ea, . ' he Innermost Spirituality (snymg-t 'lg-. a
and also some notes clanfymg t 'f h D I i Lama received the esotenc k · . ) The Great Fl t a a
gsal-byed- y'l y'l-ge . tion from this master.
instructions of the Trhisong Detsen had returned as the
In general, the relIgIOus kmg . fhis enlightened aspiration . t the timely maturatIon 0 d h
Great Fifth, OWIng o. f his Tibetan subjects. He enhance , . ere to increase the happIness 0 C h hing and doctrinal assembhes, in the Land of Snows, lor t e teac d knowledge ofthe Ancient
t' ular hISacute reasone
without bias. In par l C , ' ursued the doctrine (to suc
h Translation School of the secret ma. ntra fPthe transmitted precepts and
h ] h . mple enumeratIOn 0 f h anextentt at t eSl. omethreevolumes. Itisclear romt e
treasures which he studIed. fill s found in the fourth volume
. the Nymgmapa tantras,
section concermng. . d the Flow of the Ganges
(g . san-y'lg
of his Record of Teachmgs Recde'lve , k t cut off by logical proofs and ,. h ) thatheun ertoo 0 , h N .
gang-ga'l c u-rgyun , d refutations, those who espouse
mapa tantras].
rse notions (regarding t e
Ylng-
perve
. .
928 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
visage, confer empowerment, and inspire [the treasure-finders] with the seals of entrustment and prophetic declarations. Consequently, hav- ing overwhelmed the treasure lords and the protectors of transmitted precepts with their commitments and discipline, all sorts of treasures, those of doctrine and of riches, would come into the possession of the treasure-finders, whereby they would bountifully serve the teaching and sentient beings. This constitutes one aspect of the great enlightened activity of the conquerors. As it says in the Sublime Sutra o f Contempla- tion which Subsumes All Merits, [quoted in Sik$asamuccaya, p. lOS]:
o Vimalatejas! the treasures of bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who desire the doctrine, have been inserted in mountains, ravines, and woods. DharaI. iis and limitless ap- proaches to the doctrine, which are set down in books, will also come into their hands. 0 Vimalatejas! deities who for- merly beheld the Buddha will encourage the brilliance of all the bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who desire the doc- trine. 0 Vimalatejas! even if the lives of those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who desire the doctrine, should ex- pire, they will be revitalised and strengthened by all the buddhas, transcendental lords, and by the deities. By the blessing of the buddhas and the blessing of the deities they will endure, if they so wish, for a thousand years.
In the Sutra which Genuinely Comprises the Entire Doctrine, too, it says:
Ananda! whoever writes down these diverse doctrines in books, conceals them as treasures, and worships them, so that the doctrine might be completely preserved, will obtain ten true acquisitions. Ananda! these are: the treasure of be- holding a buddha, for he acquires the eye which does so; the treasure of hearing the doctrine, for he acquires the divine ear; the treasure of seeing the sartlgha, for by not regressing he acquires [membership in] the sartlgha; the treas- ure which is inexhaustible, for he has acquired the hand of wealth; the treasure of form, for the major and minor marks are perfected; the. treasure of service, for his servants will not part from him; the treasure of holiness, for he has ac- quired brilliance; the treasure of fearlessness, for he has eliminated his adversaries; and the treasure of sustaining merit, for he sustains sentient beings. 1299
As the Sugata has made such proclamations in his indisputable lion's roar, one ought well to comprehend them.
7 ;;::; ofRefutation
In general, as Ion as
dIstInctions of the obJ·ects of fig
t h · re utatIon and th f .
e past In the catalogues and broadside' . e re utatIOns, found in o f Perverse Doctrines (chos-lo sun-' . s famed as Rejections gently] that they tend only IS dIfficult [to maintain co-
? ersons examine them in detail man e NYIngmapa. When fair-minded
In order to see just how m h · Y appear to have been composed h d . uc Itwaspos·bI
t e Octnnesrefuted bylea d d SI e to get away with Ifall h . rne an accom1·hdT· .
no aut entIc doctrine at all wo Id b
For· . . u elound.
Instance, In hIS Treatise which A
Sakya Pandita refuted nalyses the Three Vows (rab-dbye'i
Ings], Such as the Six· Doctn·nes an; many Takpo Kagyii [teach-
to the Questions of the Kadam . . e reat Seal. 1300 In his Answers
gdams-pa'i dge-bshes B. enefactor Namkabum (bka'-
severly refutes the Kagyii adh gyz. dns-lan, SK Vol. S, no. 96) he erents, saYIng:
doctrinal tradition of the
Dngungpa and Taklu d Great Seal according to
.
agree WIth any of the
.
genUIne path. But do
ngpa oesnot tantrapitaka I thI·nk th . .
. . at It IS not a not repeat this to others!
The Kadam
pa were themselves refi d the venerable Milarepa criticised
by and others, ar. eer ofa Kadampa. 1301 The es . . po ! --hafJe for adhering to the
catIon were said by Zh·k N InstrUctIOns ofPhadampa's Pa ·fi £. 1poYIsengC T CI1- doctrines. They also said h ' o-se. emdrel and others to be
tnne leaked out by a mad nun" at the ? bJect of Cutting was a "doc-
the Five Golden Doctrines Lapdran]. Some said that y Khyungpo Tshiiltrim Gan 1302 e . angpas had been composed r. angyur. The Sakyapa Yaand so would not include them in
and the trio of Koramp 's kde PaI). cen and RongtOn Sheja aklung Lotsawa severely Senge, Sakya Chokden, and
erable Tsongkapa and maintained th e VIew an. d of the ven- at even hIs VISIOns of
? ne has not examined in detail the
C"
PIS e Ibetans were false
'
930 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . . h
. 1303 The supremely learned R1·kpel. Re1dn sa1d t at were not genUlne. . because it states that the planets
The Shortcomings ofRefutation and Proof 931
Without being mindful of this, how might the profoundest depths ofthe oceanic realm ofthe doctrine be within the range ofthose bigoted Tibetans who harbour pretensions to learning, when, except for being
the object ofthe buddhas alone, they cannot be realised even by sublime beings? 1306 Those Who blaspheme [the doctrine] will not even minutely reach what is truly significant, whether they are motivated by the lack
of proper realisation, attachment to only provisional meaning, bigoted
tendencies, jealousy towards their Own equals, or the mere desire for acquisition, honour, and fame.
Just so, when the greater vehicle was expounded by master Nagar- juna, the pious attendants invented negative prophecies about lord Nagarjuna and, having inserted them in the scriptures, proclaimed that
[the Sutras of] the greater vehicle were not the transmitted precepts [of the Buddha]. When the sublime Asanga commented upon the final transmitted precepts in accord with the intention of the great regent
[Maitreya], he and his followers were expelled from the greater vehicle. During the reign of King Dharmapala, adherents of the lesser vehicle destroyed and plundered a silver image of Heruka, burned up volumes of mantras, and proclaimed that the greater vehicle and the way of
secret mantra had been created by Mara. The account maintains that
they were saved from royal punishment by master Buddhajiiana- pada. 1307
In Tibet as well, when the venerable Da6 Zh6nu [Gampopa] taught that the abiding nature of reality, as it is explained in the sutras, is the Great Seal, [his critics] maintained that this was not at all the teaching
ofthe BUddha, saying it was "Takpo's fanciful doctrine". The all-know- ing Rangjung Dorje [Karmapa III] and Chiidrak Gyamtso [Karmapa VII] expounded [the teaching] in accord with the intention of the final
transmitted precepts, but later Mikyii Dorje [Karmapa VIII] and others did not adhere to their view. 1308 When master T6lpopa declared that the ultimate truth was permanent and stable, the Tibetans considered
him to be merely a Sa1pkhya extremist. 1309 After the venerable Tsong- kapa had explained relative appearance to be logically verifiable later scholars assaulted him with HOM! and PHAT! [i. e. showered him with
derision]. The great paI. l<;lita Zilungpa [Sakya Chokden] had to be ejected from the Sakyapa ranks for explaining that the Analysis o f the Three Vows was of provisional meaning. 1310 Moreover, the all-knowing Great
Fifth, having studied and meditated upon the authentic teaching impar- tially, was very nearly excluded from the Gedenpa [i. e. Gelukpa] order. The obscuration of those who believe such perverse accusations and,
haVing regarded [these pure masters] perversely, so come to abandon the doctrine, is immeasurable.
Even a householder who has not entered the teaching and who per- forms intolerable, sinful deeds has the oPPortunity to become tranquil by merely turning to the profound abode [i. e. emptiness], but this is
t a genume tantra
the Kalacakra was no hat China lies to the north 0
and stars move toward thhe Remdawa said: 1304 and so forth. Moreover, t e ve
. . . d h t Kalacakra and others
Although it 1S sal t : mi hty lords of the tenth level,
f T. b
1 et,
.
Were t . g t valid from invalid arguments Ifintellects wh1ch d1scnmma e
. h that is not seen to be proven. Examme tern, llables E-V AM are not
In the root tantra the two SYes many
In the tantra one a prostitute's son? Can one trust 1t any more
other arguments he refuted. the Kalacakra. In With these and many f d the Path and Fruit saymg:
addition, Go Lhetse re ute .
The golden doctrines of Tantra.
F t h e d e r a n g e d transm1SSlOn o f t h e a t a r . 130S
B u t h e 1 s w e 11 k n o w n t o h a v e b e e n j e a l o u s o f i t s p r o p a g a t o r , t h e t r a n s l a t o r
Drokmi. . was certainly a basic intention and
For all these arguments there
special need;. but,! or exam
Kagyu traditlOn d1d a
well established that Jamgon Tsohng fP "Second Teacher". If the doc-
. h·wastat0a
t r ines
'
were praised in the m estruc 1
t [Padmasam those of the great mas e r .
h h great persons as these, w 0
of the Buddh1st teac mg
secre to the counterfeit 1 eas a n .
hich are pondered through the know- 11 knowing have taught [those
g
ations of study and reflection w
pIe on
. .
h ther hand the peerless Takpo
teo,
'host of accomplished masters, and It IS
ka a's enlightened activity on behalf
b
. d (bleprop eC1es0 . d
which were well expounded
Suc y h
. f the Buddha himself and
. f I 1mpure it wou
in what is meanmg u : are m the teaching of the Conqueror!
ought to be h. les and philosoph1cal systems,
In short, the structure 0 t reat enlightened activity, and
which is the object of the . g ble reality is not at all slm1lar
d
which is a profoun ··d
. .
. . . ated with the acute mveSti-
bh a] and which explicitly ab1 e
av , . b
. 1d seem that most T1 etans
t of mconce1va , d scrut1mes aSSOC1
h
able. Because t e suga a , ld ise that the unernng exce
t s who are a - , .
1-
vehicles and philosophies] we S?
foremost figure In t e mat. :l. Th
. a or final punctuation
. Concernlllg
e vlsarg J I the dlscnmznatzve a
k (. )
mar s tlg
t
h passage
e . . ' . . wareness
through
•
whIch
f h
15) the Indian manuscript 0 t e names are applted v . . ti 1279 Siltri (thread) is the Secret Nucleus reads ') Suryaprabhasirpha's
Sanskrit word for thlg lllJe [tig as being Commentary [on the Secret uc
. ) h' Tig is an archaiClsm. . h equlvalent to t 19. [which is found In t e
As for the reference to other later on, such as Secret Nucleus): all the tanthras;xp ation of the Real which
the Hevajra, also refer to t e umm had been delivered first.
The Root Tantra o/the Secret Nucleus 917
5 The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition, and its Impact on the Other Schools
[771. 1-786. 4] Furthermore, in the period following the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, one called the "Red Master" and another called the "Blue-skirted Pa1). <:iita" came from India to Tibet, where, for the sake of riches and honour, they propagated practices involving public orgies and slaughter in the villages. 1282 Because many Tibetans entered their following, Lha Lama, uncle and nephew, as well as the translator Rincen Zangpo and others explained, in the epistles of re- futation which they authored in order to prevent harm to the teaching, that these were perversions of the mantra tradition. 1283 The translators of the new schools repeatedly declared, in order to prove the greatness of their own doctrines, that the transmitted precepts of the way of the secret mantra according to the Ancient Translation School had been polluted, owing to which ill-informed persons were carried off on the stretcher of doubt. But, in fact, it may be known from the preceding history how the continuous blessings of this succession of tantras,
transmissions, and esoteric instructions have been preserved without decline.
In brief, when the doctrine was persecuted by Langdarma all the dialectical seminaries were destroyed, but the hermitages of the mantra tradition survived somewhat in mountainous ravines, caves, and so forth. For that reason, and in accord with the promise which Langdarma himself made to Nupcen [po 612], the mantrins were never harmed at all. During those times a multitude of excellent awareness-holders, who had mastery over the two accomplishments, continued to maintain the teaching of the three inner classes of tantra. Their number included Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo, Ngenlam Cangcup Gyeitsen, most of the eight glorious disciples ofNyak Jfianakumara, Nupcen and his disciples, Rok Sakya Jungne, and Deshek Zurpoche.
As for how the supreme and common accomplishments were visibly disclosed, without fail, by those who experientially cultivated the tantras of the Ancient Translation School and the esoteric instructions com- posed by those who dwelt on the great level of the awareness-holders:
The Continuity ofth N .
there were . e yzngmapa Tradition 919
. seven sUccessIve generations f . .
Mipham Gonpo, who did so b 0 beginning with
C l a s s o f t h e G r e a t P e r f e c t i o n y o f t h e m s t r u c t i o n s o f t h e the lmeage which passed from seven generations in and so on, whose physical bodies df Zangpo to Dangma,
m o
hat was left behind n'0 1 ,earht quakes and various other miracles'
' argert anacub·t b . asses consisting of the five . 1 '. ecame [after cremation]
. .
mstructIOns on inner radiance e pat of the esoteric
the Supreme transformation b ssolved mto the rainbow body
, Ymeansofth h ' as many who emerged Innermost Spirituality;1284 as well
:vho had the discipline to as the three ancestral Zurs, mto space. e ead, and who bodily vanished
It is impossible, too to enu
rainbow body by the ;aths f all those who passed into the Perfection, as exemplified b e profound treasures of the Great
and the Northern [Treasure; of Perna Lingpa] late age, this may still be illustrated during this year, fifteenth cycle) the lord xample, m. 1883/4 (water
RIkdzm Perna DtidUl van· h d . among accomplIshed masters h h· ,ISemthebod f1·h1285 '
W en IS personal disciple the t fi y 0
. , r e a sure- mder R
1· h
Into Ig t. What was left
It can stIll be seen today D · h sIze, was taken to Dokam where d·. . unngtatsame . d '
of the great treasure-finder D. . . there were thirteen
rambow body 1286 F h UJom Lmgpa who attained th
. Urtermorever 1 e have been many Whom I rem 'b y c ose to the present day, there
h d· em er, Who were . . . . 1
Issolved into the rainbow bod . y perceived to
theIr bodies behind: Lingtsang Dza : leavmg even a trace of (wood pig year, sixteenth cYcle)-lfs7 rashl Ozer of? okam in 1935/6 Gyeltsen,in1937/8(fireoxyear). 1288f111follo;ed by hIS regent, Lodro
away at Mmdroling his remaI· . .
Ig t. Afterwards · k · ' angn DorJe, passed
b h·
. e md, . which was about six inches i n .
'ns
Namgyel in 1952/3 (water drago'n 0 by Derge Yilungpa Sonam In dd·· year
a ltIOn, one cannot number th . . . . .
the treasure-finder Dtijom Lin a. Do_se. Tnme Ozer, the Son of Wangmo; the Zhecen Gyeltsa g p , . aki Kunzang Chonyi Dekyong
Namgyel; the great
enpel NYIma· Cadrel K·· P ngwa, Gemang II, Thupwang T d· ' unga elden· L·
en zm; the great preceptor of D 1 ' ;ngter III, Gyurme Perna my . own supreme guides the zo (cen, ema Thekcok Loden; and Doqe; Khyapdak Gyurme'N d treasure-finder Zilnon Namkei
lampel Dewei Nyima Th . O? angpo; and the lord of the circle by sound bodies mostly vanished into light'
There were also
remams and relIcs. very many [Nying
oflearning, such as Rong masters] who traversed the
Ing of the doctrine, Longcen Ram. Chokl Zangpo and the all-knowing
level such as that of Naga- . Who planted their feet on a
rJuna and Asanga th
, e Supreme adornments
vanIshed
Diijom Lingpa
good [liberation]. 1291 The buddhas and bodhisattvas have acted solely as physicians on behalf of other sentient beings. With this intention the supremely learned Go Lotsawa Zhonupel has said [in the Blue Annals, p. 203]:
In general, after the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, there was not a single ordained monk in Central Tibet and Tsang for more than seventy years. However, there were many Nyingmapa mantra adepts who blessed their respective homelands with their distinctive practices. The householders had faith in them, delighted them with food and clothing, et cetera, and occasionally received the vase empowerment alone, whereby their minds gradually matured. Consequently, when those known as the six or eight men from Central Tibet and Tsang, [namely,] Lume and the others, arrived, countless temples and monastic com- munities were founded in every province and district. It became possible to enjoy, without decline, the transmitted precepts and treatises which had been translated in the past, during the time of the king and his ministers. Moreover, most of the many learned and accomplished individuals who appeared originated from the lineages of the Nyingmapa accomplished masters.
Just so, apart from some esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection which were composed by Indian masters such as Indrabhl1ti, Buddha- jfianapada, and Naropa, and which were dispersed throughout Tibet, most of the treatises, and so forth, composed by other accomplished masters were not even translated into Tibetan. These masters, being determined to preserve secrecy, would not leave even a trace of their supremely profound, esoteric instructions behind. So, let alone the issue of public teaching, because even the books were by and large sealed to be kept invisible, they could only be revealed in utter secrecy to one sole supremely fortunate disciple. So it was that, for example, Phamthingpa was familiar with Ndropd's Sky-farer (nd-ro mkha'-spyod), the mere name of which Marpa had never heard. Likewise, there are accounts [which hold that] the great pa1)9ita SakyasrI received VajrakIla from the great master Padmasambhava himself, and that Phadampa Sangye maintained the Great Perfection as his profoundest commitment. At a later date, the great accomplished master Santigupta received the transmitted exegeses, empowerments, and esoteric intructions of many tantrapitaka from master Padmasambhava in person. Santigupta's dis- ciples who came to Tibet related that he also propagated them in Draviga and other countries. 1292 In addition, there was the Great Perfection which Zhang Yudrakpa received directly from the master Padmasam-
bhava, the bodhisattva and Vimalamitra.
whose sublime intellects were fearless in the
. .
beautIfY1ng Jambudv1pa, d. . f th Sugata's doctrinal tradition. In encounter with t? e profun °the Medical Tantras (gso-dpyad
_
the ast:ee translator Vairocana, have
Yr·
rgyud-bzhz), translate
provided great sustenance for with] pro-
Moreover, [the traf deeds by means of the four found means for the 0 enrichment subjugation, and rites of enlightened actIvity: have famed for their wrath. Therefore, when some of h e been afflicted with most
greatness throughout the Land of t refuge directly or in- fearsome circumstances, they have a. 0 T lation'School. This is
. h C' 11 rs of the Anc1ent rans
directly, with t e 10 . owe . hou h Sakya Pa1)9ita cou
ld verified by direct eV1dence: for t theglatter began to fly into
defeat Haranandin through ·th the gnostic mantra of . D awhoboun1mW1 . ht
the sky 1t was arcarw h ld think how far-reaching IS t a VajrakHa. 1290 This being so, one \ ned activity associated with the teaching, which is possessed of en Ig fe . t nce] and the definitively
manifestly elevated [higher realms 0 eXlS e
atures
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 921
920
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
922 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
When the venerable Milarepa first received the Mental Class of the Great Perfection from Nup Khulungpa he could not become equipoised in awareness itself, and for the time being the doctrine and the individual seemed to go their own ways. 1293 Finally, on the basis of the venerable Marpa ofLhodrak's [teaching ofthe] inner heat, he attained accomplish- ment on the path of the Great Perfection, whereby all thoughts, all things are exhausted. This can be demonstrated by one of his own songs of indestructible reality, in which he says:
Stabbed in front by the Great Perfection, Stabbed in the back by the Great Seal,
I vomit the blood of instruction. . .
The venerable Karma Pakshi [Karmapa II], who had been Garap Dorje's disciple Toktsewa, remembered that previous life in which he had comprehended the six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. Owing to this, and to his study of the Great Perfection under Katokpa Campabum, and so on, he obtained accomplishment. The all-knowing Rangjung Dorje [Karmapa III] asserted himself to be the emanation of Vimalamitra and, having become the master of the teaching of the Innermost Spirituality, brought forth treasures of inten- tion as well. The great accomplished master Orgyenpa, the venera9le Gotsangpa, Yang-gonpa and others who realised sarpsura and nirvu1). a to be of the same savour [i. e. the adherents of the Drukpa Kagyti tradition] obtained accomplishment in the expanse of the Great Perfection, no matter upon which path they provisionally relied. [To affirm this] one should examine the innermost assertions of their respective intentions.
The glorious Sakyapa all attained accomplishment by relying upon the tradition of the ancient translations that was derived from the lineage of Khon Ltiiwangpo,1294 a direct disciple of master Padmasambhava; and Yangdak and VajrakIla were both adopted as the vital meditational deities of the Sakyapa. During that age, when those Tibetans with arrogant presumptions to scholarship sought to smear the ancient trans- lations, Yangdak and Vajrakfla were effulgently protected by their [Sakyapa] doctrine masters, who revered them for their purity and so had occasion to cause [their critics] to erase what they had written. The doctrine master Lama Tampa [Sonam Gyeltsen] attained manifest signs [of accomplishment] by relying on Vajrakfla, and he composed a recen- sion of it. In particular, the supreme holders of the Sakyapa teaching tradition, from Dakcen Lodro GyeItsen to Ktinpang Doringpa, Choje Tsharpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangcuk, et cetera, were directly or in- directly favoured and blessed by the great master Padmasambhava. Consequently, there were many who obtained accomplishment by the paths of the Ancient Translation School, including the Great Perfection. They can be known from their individual biographies and so forth, but it will not be possible to mention them [all] here.
The Continuity 01'th M 'J e
oreOver, even the instructions of th
N 0
yzngmapa Tradition 923
.
)
Path and Fruit which stem f h e precIOUS oral teaching of the [; h rom t e traditio f h .
act,t eexegesisofthestageof tO ns
lation School's Heruka G l per ectIOn found in the Ancient Tr:ns-
MO d hO apo, a tantra of th 1 f zn ,w Ich actually sets forth th e cyc e 0
Yangdak the
four obscurations, four paths fou; the four
four pulses, and four bodloe' B p systems, four deceases 'd s. ecause that IS d '
eVI ence has proven [the Path and F connected with this tantra
. so, valid rult] to be an esotenc Instruction
Again, there was the gre;t accom 10
tIOns directly from the Lord f , who could receIve prophetic declara-
whatever had to be done ThO ecret. s so make predictions about h' h V . . e esotenc Instruction h
w IC aJrapa1). i conferred on him . s on t e two stages path of the Great Perfection Th as an aural lIneage uphold the true great accomplished master re e Tsongkapa implored that
found view. The master asked doubts on the genuine, pro- Supreme Nectar-Elixir Dialogue of who delivered the
h aosNamkaGyeltsen,orLekiDoroe pIS edmaster? fLhodrakrenowned
says:
Z us- an bdud-rtsz sman-mchog), which
In order to attain the su rem r' '. .
of father Samantabhad:a th: whIch the Intention SamantabhadrI my th '0 heartfelt adVIce of mother
And also:
.
L Ikewlse:
. tIOn,
,-
highest' 1
and
the
-
. .
wn secret InJunc-
h
t roughtotherootsof . d' . .
es, t en cut '"
e vaJra- older's
pInnac e of the vehicl h
0
mIn s Inner radIance
o Leki Dorje! this, the em tess
fabricated by anyone It lOS P enbce? f awareness, was not
. wIt out aSlS unc d b'do from the very beginning W' h ,a 1 Ing
trivances about it, let it ri out con- attains buddhahood in th whoere It IS. DeVIatIOn then
.
e pnmordlally pure expanse. . .
This natural inner radiance is . . 0 emptiness, and yet spontaneousl Inseparable froI? ongInal
is unobstructed spirituality K y present. Its radIant aspect
without attaining to arises, cence. In its inseparabilit [f IS t at great coales- attained. . . y rom emptIness] buddhahood is
It says in the Elixir Drops ofthe C 0
(Phyag-na-rdo-rjeJi bskyed-rd bd Perfection of Vajrapani
zogs u -rtszJz thzg-pa): 0
Thhe deity of pristine cognition declared' T e unborn inc 0 bl .
I
,0ncelV a e expanse of reality
s ummpeded, unelaborate, and it appears as anything.
0
0 t at lIneage, are in
924
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. -
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 925 Let freedom from deeds and craving be your conduct;
And your result the abandonment of the wish to attain extrinsically
The buddha-body of reality, which is naturally within.
The eighty-four thousand doctrines of the vehicles, Their tantras, commentaries, and esoteric instructions Transcend what may be expressed;
But this drop of the nectar of esoteric instruction, Like refined and clarified butter,
Is the quintessence of all together.
As if it were lion's milk, the supreme essence, I offer it to you, Leki Dorje,
A supreme vessel, like a vase of gold. . .
This presents the doctrinal terminology of the Great Perfection with- out adulterating it with other philosophical systems. Hence, it was by this path that Leki Dorje obtained accomplishment. Above and beyond that, Je Guru [Tsongkapa himself], Tokden Jampel Gyamtso and others have explained that, except in the course of his presentations of the Madhyamaka and logical philosophies, the venerable Tsongkapa con- formed to the experiential cultivation of the Great Seal and Great Per- fection. This, in fact, can be learned by studying the Supreme Nectar- Elixir Dialogue, whereby his doubts on the view were resolved [when he queried] the great accomplished master Leki Dorje. This Dialogue by and large merits comparison with the Golden Rosary Dialogue from the Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)akinf(mkha'-'gro snying-thig-gi-zhus-lan gser-phreng). Had it been otherwise, Tsongkapa would not have had to rely upon that great accomplished master for merely the view that is an object of [intellectual] understanding, because his discernment with respect to conventional topics was as vast as the illumination of the sun and moon. Therefore, Jamgon Tsongkapa himself said:
In particular, when I received permission to write down the Supreme Elixir Dialogue, a Nectar Rosary, an esoteric instruc- tion which summarises the essence of the intention of the Conqueror and his sons, and which is the secret injunction of the sublime Vajrapa1). i, without interpolation, omission, or error, just as it was orally conferred by the Lord of Secrets, then:
The nectar-like speech of the Lord of Secrets Fulfilled the hopes of my mind.
I overcame the sickness of defilement,
And thought I had reached AlakavatI. 1296
Similarly, PaI). cen Lozang Ch6ki Gyeltsen wrote in his Guidebook to the Great Seal (phyag-chen-gyi khrid-yig):
Sarpsara n Whatever IS manliest In an
expanse. Moreover:
h'
lC g. r. l" of
d
,
0 different are primordIally pure. d of itselfdissolves in the unborn
h asp two be not destroye One will deviate from the medltatlVe cu tlvatlon
Ifdelusion's apparitions w
emptiness. .
If
Doctnnes appea Assertions that the five u
The five poisons to be Buddhahood to be obtaIned,
.
be not freed from mtellect,
rin dualistically cannot liberate you:
g b ddha-bodies are to be attaIned,
samsara to be renounced,
And . ref '
Are attachments to obtain value of the
If they're not cut 0 ff,yo
genuine nucleus. .
L k a blind man seeking the honzon, will wander forever in sarpsara's abodes.
Though you mentally hanker for that which surpasses the
intellect, l"b t you Mentally created doctrines cannot 1 era e d·
,,1295
. h" 11 ct's reach an range. "Theultimateisnot. WIt . mmbtefie .
shedwiththoughtsand
The pinnacle of vehIcles IS to e 1111
finished with things.
1 even the term "awareness
"
Do not app Y . d the buddha-body of reality, Toyourownmm ,
Which is no substance. . . d Be absorbed in the indiscernible mm ,
. fness and compasslOn ,
Whose nucleus IS emp 1 thought and expression.
The transcendence of utterandce,
Be absorbed in the transcen ence 0
Be totally absorbed in freedom from deeds.
d proof"
t "be absorbed" is the intellect's
Bu . "absorbed" or una sor e , Without the conventlOnS . f ee analytical grounds,
Without words, or express. lOnsll' r 's stilled in the expanse.
Like clouds that m the sky. Not renouncing discurslVe th. oughts, They are pure where they anse.
. editation, conduct and result:
As for Vlew, m . d attraction your Vlew,
Make freedom ctualising your meditation; Destruction of subJectlve mte e
. 1 apparent mte ect 1 .
The ana ytlca , , d ' ection vanish m space,
1
Refutation, proof, an re)
f the 'intellect.
b
b d"
' .
926
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
Although many different names have been gIVen - . G t Seal and Madhyamaka,
Great of and Pacification - Path and FruIt, lec .
When they are investigated by yo. gm Who has cultivated
He arrives at just one IntentIOn.
· eneral from the perspective of expenentIal
Such a statement, made m . .
cultivation,. gives rise to Peljor Lhtindrup: It was Concernmg the . venera Rikdzin Tshewang Norgye and upon by relying up? n hIS own h became a great lord of yoga, who
Sangye : Innermost Spirituality of t? e Great
stabIlIty on the pa h Guidebook which Introduces the Vzew Com-
6 On the Validity of the Treasures
PerfectIOn. He composed the . d Great Madhyamaka, et cetera, S 1 Great Perfectwn an . h' 1
[786. 4-790. 3] Similarly, concerning the Nyingmapa treasures, [it may be said that] all the tantrapitaka which were reportedly discovered in ancient India by the great accomplished master Sarahapada, Garap Dorje, Viriipa, Asvottama,1298 Nagarjuna, Padmakara, Saroruha, Lalitavajra, Carlndra, and so forth, were, in fact, treasure doctrines; for "treasure" is explained to mean something hidden, that is invisible to direct sensory perception for some time. Therefore, when, for the time being, no worthy recipients to whom the illustrative written tantras [could be transmitted] were found, they were sealed in the invisible expanse, where they were guarded and preserved by the gakinls. Then, those accomplished individuals were given prophetic declarations by their favoured deities and, when the time arrived, they were given permission and empowered by the host of gakinls in the great palaces of mantra, such as the Dharmagafiji in Oggiyana. Having released the seal of entrustment, they were given the volumes of the tantras, experi- entially cultivated them for themselves, and taught them somewhat to other worthy disciples.
In the same way, with reference to Tibet, the all-seeing master Pad- masambhava composed, on the basis of the profound and vast tan- trapitaka, each requisite for the path in its entirety, including means for attainment, ritual collections and esoteric instructions, for he knew the manner in which those requiring training would appear in the future. He arranged them in yellow scrolls as verbal tantras and en- trusted them to their respective non-human treasure lords in mountain ravines, rock-chests, wealth-filled lakes, and elsewhere. He then con- cealed them to be invisible along with their seals of entrustment which Were in the form of prayerful aspirations that they be discovered in the future by the worthy and fortunate individuals who were empowered to do so. At a later date, the power of those prayerful aspirations would awaken in the individuals endowed with suitable fortune. The indica- tions of the appropriate times and the prophetic declarations would come together, whereupon the great master would actually reveal his
mon to the Great ea, . ' he Innermost Spirituality (snymg-t 'lg-. a
and also some notes clanfymg t 'f h D I i Lama received the esotenc k · . ) The Great Fl t a a
gsal-byed- y'l y'l-ge . tion from this master.
instructions of the Trhisong Detsen had returned as the
In general, the relIgIOus kmg . fhis enlightened aspiration . t the timely maturatIon 0 d h
Great Fifth, OWIng o. f his Tibetan subjects. He enhance , . ere to increase the happIness 0 C h hing and doctrinal assembhes, in the Land of Snows, lor t e teac d knowledge ofthe Ancient
t' ular hISacute reasone
without bias. In par l C , ' ursued the doctrine (to suc
h Translation School of the secret ma. ntra fPthe transmitted precepts and
h ] h . mple enumeratIOn 0 f h anextentt at t eSl. omethreevolumes. Itisclear romt e
treasures which he studIed. fill s found in the fourth volume
. the Nymgmapa tantras,
section concermng. . d the Flow of the Ganges
(g . san-y'lg
of his Record of Teachmgs Recde'lve , k t cut off by logical proofs and ,. h ) thatheun ertoo 0 , h N .
gang-ga'l c u-rgyun , d refutations, those who espouse
mapa tantras].
rse notions (regarding t e
Ylng-
perve
. .
928 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
visage, confer empowerment, and inspire [the treasure-finders] with the seals of entrustment and prophetic declarations. Consequently, hav- ing overwhelmed the treasure lords and the protectors of transmitted precepts with their commitments and discipline, all sorts of treasures, those of doctrine and of riches, would come into the possession of the treasure-finders, whereby they would bountifully serve the teaching and sentient beings. This constitutes one aspect of the great enlightened activity of the conquerors. As it says in the Sublime Sutra o f Contempla- tion which Subsumes All Merits, [quoted in Sik$asamuccaya, p. lOS]:
o Vimalatejas! the treasures of bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who desire the doctrine, have been inserted in mountains, ravines, and woods. DharaI. iis and limitless ap- proaches to the doctrine, which are set down in books, will also come into their hands. 0 Vimalatejas! deities who for- merly beheld the Buddha will encourage the brilliance of all the bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who desire the doc- trine. 0 Vimalatejas! even if the lives of those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who desire the doctrine, should ex- pire, they will be revitalised and strengthened by all the buddhas, transcendental lords, and by the deities. By the blessing of the buddhas and the blessing of the deities they will endure, if they so wish, for a thousand years.
In the Sutra which Genuinely Comprises the Entire Doctrine, too, it says:
Ananda! whoever writes down these diverse doctrines in books, conceals them as treasures, and worships them, so that the doctrine might be completely preserved, will obtain ten true acquisitions. Ananda! these are: the treasure of be- holding a buddha, for he acquires the eye which does so; the treasure of hearing the doctrine, for he acquires the divine ear; the treasure of seeing the sartlgha, for by not regressing he acquires [membership in] the sartlgha; the treas- ure which is inexhaustible, for he has acquired the hand of wealth; the treasure of form, for the major and minor marks are perfected; the. treasure of service, for his servants will not part from him; the treasure of holiness, for he has ac- quired brilliance; the treasure of fearlessness, for he has eliminated his adversaries; and the treasure of sustaining merit, for he sustains sentient beings. 1299
As the Sugata has made such proclamations in his indisputable lion's roar, one ought well to comprehend them.
7 ;;::; ofRefutation
In general, as Ion as
dIstInctions of the obJ·ects of fig
t h · re utatIon and th f .
e past In the catalogues and broadside' . e re utatIOns, found in o f Perverse Doctrines (chos-lo sun-' . s famed as Rejections gently] that they tend only IS dIfficult [to maintain co-
? ersons examine them in detail man e NYIngmapa. When fair-minded
In order to see just how m h · Y appear to have been composed h d . uc Itwaspos·bI
t e Octnnesrefuted bylea d d SI e to get away with Ifall h . rne an accom1·hdT· .
no aut entIc doctrine at all wo Id b
For· . . u elound.
Instance, In hIS Treatise which A
Sakya Pandita refuted nalyses the Three Vows (rab-dbye'i
Ings], Such as the Six· Doctn·nes an; many Takpo Kagyii [teach-
to the Questions of the Kadam . . e reat Seal. 1300 In his Answers
gdams-pa'i dge-bshes B. enefactor Namkabum (bka'-
severly refutes the Kagyii adh gyz. dns-lan, SK Vol. S, no. 96) he erents, saYIng:
doctrinal tradition of the
Dngungpa and Taklu d Great Seal according to
.
agree WIth any of the
.
genUIne path. But do
ngpa oesnot tantrapitaka I thI·nk th . .
. . at It IS not a not repeat this to others!
The Kadam
pa were themselves refi d the venerable Milarepa criticised
by and others, ar. eer ofa Kadampa. 1301 The es . . po ! --hafJe for adhering to the
catIon were said by Zh·k N InstrUctIOns ofPhadampa's Pa ·fi £. 1poYIsengC T CI1- doctrines. They also said h ' o-se. emdrel and others to be
tnne leaked out by a mad nun" at the ? bJect of Cutting was a "doc-
the Five Golden Doctrines Lapdran]. Some said that y Khyungpo Tshiiltrim Gan 1302 e . angpas had been composed r. angyur. The Sakyapa Yaand so would not include them in
and the trio of Koramp 's kde PaI). cen and RongtOn Sheja aklung Lotsawa severely Senge, Sakya Chokden, and
erable Tsongkapa and maintained th e VIew an. d of the ven- at even hIs VISIOns of
? ne has not examined in detail the
C"
PIS e Ibetans were false
'
930 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . . h
. 1303 The supremely learned R1·kpel. Re1dn sa1d t at were not genUlne. . because it states that the planets
The Shortcomings ofRefutation and Proof 931
Without being mindful of this, how might the profoundest depths ofthe oceanic realm ofthe doctrine be within the range ofthose bigoted Tibetans who harbour pretensions to learning, when, except for being
the object ofthe buddhas alone, they cannot be realised even by sublime beings? 1306 Those Who blaspheme [the doctrine] will not even minutely reach what is truly significant, whether they are motivated by the lack
of proper realisation, attachment to only provisional meaning, bigoted
tendencies, jealousy towards their Own equals, or the mere desire for acquisition, honour, and fame.
Just so, when the greater vehicle was expounded by master Nagar- juna, the pious attendants invented negative prophecies about lord Nagarjuna and, having inserted them in the scriptures, proclaimed that
[the Sutras of] the greater vehicle were not the transmitted precepts [of the Buddha]. When the sublime Asanga commented upon the final transmitted precepts in accord with the intention of the great regent
[Maitreya], he and his followers were expelled from the greater vehicle. During the reign of King Dharmapala, adherents of the lesser vehicle destroyed and plundered a silver image of Heruka, burned up volumes of mantras, and proclaimed that the greater vehicle and the way of
secret mantra had been created by Mara. The account maintains that
they were saved from royal punishment by master Buddhajiiana- pada. 1307
In Tibet as well, when the venerable Da6 Zh6nu [Gampopa] taught that the abiding nature of reality, as it is explained in the sutras, is the Great Seal, [his critics] maintained that this was not at all the teaching
ofthe BUddha, saying it was "Takpo's fanciful doctrine". The all-know- ing Rangjung Dorje [Karmapa III] and Chiidrak Gyamtso [Karmapa VII] expounded [the teaching] in accord with the intention of the final
transmitted precepts, but later Mikyii Dorje [Karmapa VIII] and others did not adhere to their view. 1308 When master T6lpopa declared that the ultimate truth was permanent and stable, the Tibetans considered
him to be merely a Sa1pkhya extremist. 1309 After the venerable Tsong- kapa had explained relative appearance to be logically verifiable later scholars assaulted him with HOM! and PHAT! [i. e. showered him with
derision]. The great paI. l<;lita Zilungpa [Sakya Chokden] had to be ejected from the Sakyapa ranks for explaining that the Analysis o f the Three Vows was of provisional meaning. 1310 Moreover, the all-knowing Great
Fifth, having studied and meditated upon the authentic teaching impar- tially, was very nearly excluded from the Gedenpa [i. e. Gelukpa] order. The obscuration of those who believe such perverse accusations and,
haVing regarded [these pure masters] perversely, so come to abandon the doctrine, is immeasurable.
Even a householder who has not entered the teaching and who per- forms intolerable, sinful deeds has the oPPortunity to become tranquil by merely turning to the profound abode [i. e. emptiness], but this is
t a genume tantra
the Kalacakra was no hat China lies to the north 0
and stars move toward thhe Remdawa said: 1304 and so forth. Moreover, t e ve
. . . d h t Kalacakra and others
Although it 1S sal t : mi hty lords of the tenth level,
f T. b
1 et,
.
Were t . g t valid from invalid arguments Ifintellects wh1ch d1scnmma e
. h that is not seen to be proven. Examme tern, llables E-V AM are not
In the root tantra the two SYes many
In the tantra one a prostitute's son? Can one trust 1t any more
other arguments he refuted. the Kalacakra. In With these and many f d the Path and Fruit saymg:
addition, Go Lhetse re ute .
The golden doctrines of Tantra.
F t h e d e r a n g e d transm1SSlOn o f t h e a t a r . 130S
B u t h e 1 s w e 11 k n o w n t o h a v e b e e n j e a l o u s o f i t s p r o p a g a t o r , t h e t r a n s l a t o r
Drokmi. . was certainly a basic intention and
For all these arguments there
special need;. but,! or exam
Kagyu traditlOn d1d a
well established that Jamgon Tsohng fP "Second Teacher". If the doc-
. h·wastat0a
t r ines
'
were praised in the m estruc 1
t [Padmasam those of the great mas e r .
h h great persons as these, w 0
of the Buddh1st teac mg
secre to the counterfeit 1 eas a n .
hich are pondered through the know- 11 knowing have taught [those
g
ations of study and reflection w
pIe on
. .
h ther hand the peerless Takpo
teo,
'host of accomplished masters, and It IS
ka a's enlightened activity on behalf
b
. d (bleprop eC1es0 . d
which were well expounded
Suc y h
. f the Buddha himself and
. f I 1mpure it wou
in what is meanmg u : are m the teaching of the Conqueror!
ought to be h. les and philosoph1cal systems,
In short, the structure 0 t reat enlightened activity, and
which is the object of the . g ble reality is not at all slm1lar
d
which is a profoun ··d
. .
. . . ated with the acute mveSti-
bh a] and which explicitly ab1 e
av , . b
. 1d seem that most T1 etans
t of mconce1va , d scrut1mes aSSOC1
h
able. Because t e suga a , ld ise that the unernng exce
t s who are a - , .
1-
vehicles and philosophies] we S?
