No More Learning

When Zhangton was older he had a son, Nyibum, to succeed him as the lineage-holder. ZhangWn used to say that ifhe had not maintained an assembly of disciples his body would have vanished without a trace. Since he had mastered the aspect of enlightenment known as physical refinement,622 he sometimes appeared in the form of the Conquerors of the Five Families, and his body never cast a shadow. When he gave teaching on the doctrine of the Great Perfection there were many won- derful signs, such as the unfurling of a rainbow tent. On Saturday 13 May 1167 (twenty-second day, fourth month, fire female pig)623 great claps of thunder resounded seven times in the eastern sky and the earth trembled three times. With a display of rainbows, light, music from heavenly cymbals, and the fragrances of divine incense, all the signs that he had attained manifest awakening in the original ground, ZhangWn passed away in his seventy-first year. After the cremation at dusk on the following day, five large remains and small relics in five colours, representing the Conquerors of the Five Families ,624 were left
behind. A shower of flowers, a rainbow canopy, and other signs also appeared, owing to which many people developed firm faith and natur- ally entered into meditative absorption.
Nyibum
[222. 3-223. 5] ZhangWn's disciple was [his own son] Nyibum. When he entered the womb of his mother, Gyelmoyang, [she had a dream in Which] many suns rose simultaneously. His father then predicted that he would illuminate the dark ignorance of sentient beings and therefore
. ent and new translation the. . of his Great
b h h
Tripitaka and all the tantras, . ot . t e anCI bl ed While
g Compassionate One, Tara, and ot ers, a
accomplishment. Smce d with food and drink, he
Patsap in lower Nyang, w 0 provi e . ent referred to. But
thought that that might been the for accomplish- the white man said to hIm, Come on to . .
ment," and guided ? im the WIth told that it was They slept that nIght m an empty ouse that moment the empty
a dangerous place they moved to a cave. At
house collapsed. . d d Zhangton with food The emanation of Dorje Lekpa also in a great battle was and drink. When they reached the Oyud t::t he was invisible to
in progress, but Dorje Lekpa arrahngde hIt of a lion-shaped rock, the armies. Then, when they reac e t e p
11 in the sky; and he received
eared to him as a Once he was Done with me to find white man a whIte hat an Sal 'attendants of that deity in
living at Khuyul m upp:r_Nya
h
prophecies from th e m . .
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 561
562 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
named h1·m NY'lmabum, "One Hundred Thousand Suns". Startin. g dur- ing his fifth year he gradually received the and I. nstructI. Ons 0 f the secret Innermost SpIrItualIty f. rom hIS father; and he thoroughly mastered them as well. When, in hIS tenth year, he was enthroned, he expounded the Seventeen NGB Vols. 9-10),625 to the astonishment of all fellow students. Until his twentieth year he persevered only at practice.
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtzyoga 563
under them he studied many Slitras and tantras with an unbiased mmd. He even a treatise entitled the Great Exposition of WO:ds and Meanzng (tshzg-don chen-mo). Then, in his fifty-sixth year NYlbum passed After the cremation remains representing the five buddha famIlIes were left behind. A canopy of rainbow colours
632
Nyibum
Having become familiar with the contemplation of apparitional during the aftermath [of meditative absorption],626 went to study the new tantras, along with their esoteric instructions, Ngok Gyeltse. 627 In his twenty-second year he took Como . Gyagar
be his consort in the attainment of accomplishment. In hIS twentYd seventh, he served Khan Trakpa and Lama he became learned in the Three Contznua (rgyud gsum) along
. I d' . f the Cakrasamvara. their instructions and In the Me gyo tra 1tIOn 0 .
Guru Cober
dumb, but from his eighth year onwards discriminative awareness like a fire within him. Until his eighteenth year he lived with hIS uncle,. Nyibum, and received from him the complete empower-
ments, gUIdance, and instructions of the unsurpassed secret [i. e. Inner- most Spirituality]. By listening to the explanations of the tantras his doubts were resolved. And by meditating on the meaning ofthe esoteric
From DruktOn Trakpa of Kharak he received the Cakrasarrzvara, . . . f R L t - and the Protector
Bhattiirikii according to the Tradztwn OJ a 0 sawa, r h d ofPristine Cognition. 630 He attended on many learned and accomp IS e. gurus, such as Zhang Yudrakpa631 and Ngok Dorje Senge of Zhung,
appeared. Khukcij flowers
month of the year, and so forth. It is well known that Nyibum has
bloomed, even though it was the first been identified with Vajraphala, an emanation of Vajrapani foretold in
the Penetration ofSound. 633 .
Guru Cober
[223. 5-224. 6] Nyibum's disciple, Guru Cober, was the son of his younger brother, Dawabum. Until his seventh year he appeared to be
564 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
instructions he developed diligence in practice. From nineteen to twenty he studied the Three Continua along with their instructions under the
634 hMid" Translator of Sakya [Sakya Pa1). Qita] as well as t e e gyo tra ItIOn
of the Cakrasamvara. He comprehended Madhyamaka and logic, and
also the other Similarly, he received the transmissions of many
scriptures and tantras from many learned and accomplished gurus be-
fore reaching his thirty-sixth year. Among them, he received the instruc-
tions of MitrayogI from Trhopu Lotsawa,635 the Compendium of Valid
636
Cognition from Chumikpa, and the Doha
from the Nepali, Trakbum. In this way Guru Cober became renowned for his sharp intellect and very great learning.
With each means for attainment he practised he had a vision of the meditational deity, but he never spoke of this because of his profundity.
637
he saw the sublime Padmapa1). i and Vajrapa1). i emerge from within an orb of light. One day at dawn, he had a vision of Amitayus and said, "Though
we do not have a lineage noted for its longevity, it is owing to his blessing that it has turned out all right for me. "
Thus, being endowed with infinite learning and compassion, Guru Cober became like a caravan guide for living beings. He finally passed away at the age of sixty. There was a net of rainbow light around him which endured for seven days, and remains in the form of the syllables 00 AI:I HD0 and many other relics were left behind.
Trhuzhi Sengegyap
[224. 6-226. 6] His disciple, Trhuzhi Sengegyap, was born under a canopy of rainbow light at sunrise, in the village of Phuso Getreng in Tra, Yoru. From his ninth year on, his affinity with the enlightened family was awakened, and pure vision and devotion arose boundlessly within him. In his tenth year he perceived this seeming solidity of appearances, like that of dreams, to be without true existence. At he became utterly disillusioned with the world, and became certam that nothing would help except the doctrine. At thirteen he had a dream in which the sun and moon arose simultaneously; and on waking he had a vision of the sublime Great Compassionate One [Avalokitesvara], who said, "To attain liberation in one life, meditate on the meaning of Innermost Spirituality. "
After that Sengegyap developed boundless compassion, and he re- garded all beings as a mother does her only child. For this reason he vowed neither to seek out the company of the high and mighty, nor to avoid the lowly. His great compassion was such that he would not forsake any sentient being, even a louse on his own body. He other special signs of the family of the greater vehicle too, like showmg loving kindness to the blind, to beggars and to the poor. .
While worshipping the image of Lord Sakyamuni in Lhasa
and the Great Seal opuscules
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 565
Triizhi Sengegyap
In his eighteenth year he realised that phenomenal appearances are
without true existence and he began to rave like a madman. Once, he
scattered his parents' offerings to the gods and offered them instead to
Gyelpo, a malignant male spirit, and to Senmo, a malignant female
spirit. His parents scolded him, saying, "Why did we have a son such as you? "
When Sengegyap was in his twentieth year he was ordained as a novice by the preceptor Deu Gangpa and the master Tre Gangpa. In his twenty-fifth year he went to Sengegyap [the place from which he would take his name] in Sizhel, and there he heard the Tshelpa cycle of doctrines from the middle Sengegyapa; Crossing the Lion's Neck mjing-bsnol, NGB Vol. 2) from Lama Tsariwa; and many teach-
mgs of the way of secret mantra according to the ancient and new translation schools, as well as Pacification, the Object of Cutting, and the Great Seal, from such famous gurus as Repa Trimeo, Lharipel, Zhonubum, Toncar Cangyon, and Co-se.
In particular, as had been predicted by the Great Compassionate One, Sengegyap studied the Great Perfection under Guru Cober; and through it he developed all-surpassing realisation. He remained ab-
566 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
. . . Trhowoma and other sorbed totally in his practlce for mlany yeTahrsusmhis mind reached the
. t and desolate va leys. , moulnt;m. purity Hesecuredmanyfortunatebeingsinspiritual leve 0 pnmor la. . . 'festin the special signs that he
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 567
maturation and hberatlon, and, manl . g had realised the fruit of the supreme vehIcle,
sixty-fourth year.
Melong Dorje
h d away in his e passe
practised meditation at Zangtso, he blazed with spiritual experiences, and also developed supernormal cognitive powers to a slight degree.
Then, wandering without direction, he attended on Towarepa of Tshurpu, and on many other gurus. He visited many great pilgrimage places, such as Shawuk Tago and Kharcu. He could endure very great hardships, as when he sustained his life for one month and twenty days on a measure of barley. Indeed, his austerity cannot be imagined.
When Melong Dorje was in his eighteenth year, he met Sangye Onpo of Sengegyap [Trhtizhi Sengegyap] and received the esoteric instruc- tions of Innermost Spirituality. He was inspired by the thought that his desire for esoteric instructions was now fulfilled; and he meditated upon them. Even while engaged in the preliminary practice he had a vision of Vajrasattva that continued for six full days. And during the actual ground of the practice he met the gurus of the lineage in a dream,
638
and was blessed by them.
In his twenty-third year he studied many treasure doctrines, including
those concerning VajravarahI, under Sangye Repa; and after propiti- ating VajravarahI he actually met her in a vision. When he struck a rock with his "secret vajra" it actually penetrated the stone. 639 He also had visions of Hayagrlva, Tara, Avalokitesvara, the great master Pad- masambhava, Samantabhadra, Vajrasattva, Vimalamitra, Zalungpa, Sangye Repa, and the lord of beings Phakmotrupa. At Tunglung he heard the most melodious voice of a gakinI declare that he had cut off the stream of rebirth. In Kawacen the Red VarahI and the accomplished master Zalungpa appeared in the sky before him. When he visited Ngarcung, he saw VarahI and her five attendants in a dream. And, on awakening, he actually saw her body of light. Then, at Kyapne Dzong, Vajrasattva empowered him into the Great Perfection during a dream.
In general, Melong Dorje attended on many gurus, but among them thirteen were particularly sublime. He obtained that which is of most central significance [i. e. the Great Perfection] from Zalungpa, an accomplished master of matchless compassion, from Towarepa of Tshurpu, and from Trhtizhi Sengegyap. Because of his very great discipline his conduct was impeccable, free from acceptance and rejec- tion; so he was able to observe the commitments of the way of secret mantra to the letter. Like a young vulture soaring in the sky, he traversed the heavens by the sheer power of the discipline of awareness. And he made solid rock seem like clay. In the lands of Khenpajong, Khenpa- ling,640 Sengedzong and Kharcu, he planted the banner of attainment and served living creatures.
Melong Dorje had been destined to live for thirty-seven years, but owing to the prayers of a worthy being named master Ktinga, he passed away at the age of sixty-one, in the charnel ground of Labar. At that time everyone saw a great light, accompanied by sound, which vanished in the western direction. During the cremation a blanket offive-coloured
. , d' . I the great accomplished [226 6-229 6] Trhtizhi Sengegyap s ISCIP e,
Meiong Dorje, was born in the upper ofdDra as . e In his ninth year, he was ordame as a novIce. y
Zalungpa, and the preceptor Sehlungpa.
. he would recite the long, medium, and s verSIOns 0
t
tthh: the Transcendental Perfection of AhwaTreness
, . h" thyear herecite t e rans- sl1tras, at funerals and . ' Eight Thousand Lines cendental Perfection of wareness lnll f Dra Thereby,
one hundred times at Zhokteng m upper va eI 0 lit . When he
he realised the meaning of the abIdmg nature 0
rea y.
Melong Dorje
568 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
. k r the crematorium (pur-khang), and light stretched out m the fS IY ove urred Remains indicating that
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 569 Avalokitesvara) the Churner ofSarrzsara's Hellish Depths. 643 In his twelfth
year he was ordained as a novice by the preceptor Yerwapa ofPhakmotru and the master Ngaripa. The name Zhonu Gyelpo [Kumaradza] was conferred upon him and he studied the Vinaya. He studied, too, the Six Doctrines of Naropa and other teachings, over a period of five years under Rinpoche Trak-ye, and the Hevajra Tantra under Tshar Tengpa. Also, he trained as an artist under On Sangshe.
When Kumaradza recited the Six-Syllable Mantra he had a vision in which he saw the smiling face of the Great Compassionate One in a crystal room. He received many tantras, transmissions, and esoteric instructions belonging to the Ancient Translation School from Khyung Nakshadar; and, when he met Melong Dorje at Ngarpuk, he requested guidance on the Great Seal, through which he came face to face with the naked reality of mind.
Then Kumaradza went to serve the great, accomplished master Melong Dorje at Khandroling in Mon. He received the cycle ofdoctrines devoted to VajravarahI and others as well. When he performed the ritual service [of VajravarahI] he had a vision of Padmasambhava of O<;i<;iiyana, who appeared on the evening of the tenth day of the month and said, "0 son of the enlightened family! Always practise the doc- trine! "
Kumaradza went to Tshurpu, too, where he received the cycle of the Karmapa's doctrines from Nyenre and from Tarma Gonpo. When he went to Tingri and to Purang in Lata he met the great, accomplished master Orgyenpa and the venerable Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, who, in his seventh year, had just been ordained as a novice. Kumaradza received many instructions from Orgyenpa, and in a single month he obtained all the teachings of the Innermost Spirituality, which Orgyenpa had received from Nyenre over some years.
Also, Kumaradza received the secret cycles of the Great Perfection, for instance, the Introduction to the Essence ofthe Secret Cycle (gsang-skor gnad-kyi ngo-sprod) from Namkei Dorje of Gyamen, and the Secret Mirror of the Essence (gsang-ba gnad-kyi me-long) from Keldenpa Choki Senge.
Again, in Kharcu he fully obtained the empowerments, guidance, and instructions of the Innermost Spirituality from the great, ac- complished master Melong Dorje. Because he had nothing else to offer he served his guru with body and speech, and spent two whole summers painting for him. The master gave him four loads of barley, and two of these he used to buy paper, on which he copied books during the night. The other two provided butter lamps and his own food. Because of his austerities he contracted a severe case of lice; but extraordinary spiritual resolve was born within him.
His guru was delighted and advised him to act on behalf of living beings. Once, during an empowerment, he saw the four-armed
. bl therwonderu omensocc· . . mnumera eo b d· f b ddhahood were left behmd, Just
he had realised the five 0 Ies 0
as they are in the tantras.
u
This Melong DOfje was a contempor Orgyenpa, but Orgyenpa was ten years
641
Kumaradza
life.
I
[229 6-236 5] The disciple of Me ong
•_ _ • 642 wasborninamarkettowncalledOn ar ar zmg a
He I . ) He received the name Tharpagyen. in Yoru In 1266 (fire rna e tIger. . r·. £ he was en-
From he o:nd the other dowed with he learned how to read and to write
aspects of subhme wealth. , h received the empowerments
without studying. In his seventh year Lema Gyedor of Orsho Thoteng f
of Hevajra of ye:r he was fully ordained as a
Monastery m Kongpo. layman by the preceptor
T d practised the doctrinal cycle of sangpa, an
ary of the accomplished master his senior and lived a longer
D · was the awareness-holder ofje . . b S d· k
Kumiiriidza
570 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 571
Ekajatf
Mahakala above the guru's head, and the dark-blue Ekajati in front of the door. She appeared twice the size of a man, wielding an impaling stake and holding a she-wolf, while outside the door the witch who served her, whose locks were drenched in blood, drank blood which
she held in her cupped hands.
Kumaradza served the guru for eight consecutive years. He passed
a full winter in the hollow of Nyuktsel, one of the places of practice hallowed by the precious master from Oc;ic;iiyana; and there he had a vision of VajravarahI. His discriminative awareness became limitless.
He built a hermitage at Tsharteng in Yarlung and stayed there for some time. Later, knowing that his guru had passed away, he went to Kharcu and met the guru's two sons in Sakyak. On returning home he held a memorial ceremony on the twenty-fifth day of the month.
When Kumaradza travelled to Tsari, five-coloured rainbows penet- rated a stone image in the meadow of Trikmo-Iha and he encountered many other omens as well. Then, when invited to Tshurpu by Rangjung Dorje, the master of the doctrine, he offered to hIm the
instructions of the Innermost Spirituality. He went to Shang and re- ceived the aural lineage of the Secret Cycles and the Lamp for ihe Eye
of. C. 0ntemplation (bsam-gtan mig-gi sgron-me) from master Gompa, a spIntual descendant of Cegom Nakpo. At Namar in Tingri he attended on Panpo Cangdrup's discourses on Yang-ganpa's Teachings for Retreat ri-chos rnams). He also met Orgyenpa Rincenpel.
On the return Journey he received the Black Yamiiri and other teachings from Lama Tralungpa.
mastered most of the teachings on the stage of perfection WhICh were well known in Tibet: the Secret Cycles (gsang-skor); the Cycle khrid-kyi skor); the Cycle ofMeanzng) whzch zs Aro s Great System ofGuzdance (a-ro'i khrid-mo-che don-skor); and so on. These he received from many spiritual benefactors such as master Vegan and others.
He endured hardships for the sake of the doctrine: On one occasion he to Sarma and lived alone for eight months by the shore of Nymgmel Yutso, the Turquoise Lake. Because great miraculous when realises] the common savour with respect to the dISpOSItIOn of realIty, Kumaradza held sway over the local divinities and invited them to his house, where they served and venerated him. Jambhala presented him with a precious gem. Once, he saw a bubble offive-coloured light, about the size ofhis thumb, dissolve into the lake.
. Kumaradza's heart wept with disillusionment and sorrow [at the suffering of the world] and, therefore, he always m hermitages and totally desolate valleys like Shampo, only a wmd-break for shelter. Acting thus, he delivered many dISCIples from saIpsara.
Because his foremost disciples in the Great Perfection were the in- dubitable emanation Karmapa Rangjung Dorje and the conqueror Kumaradza's activity as a propagator of this teaching had no lImIt or end. Just so, the king of the doctrine Drigung Rincen Phtintsok has said, "The master of the teaching of this doctrine was the all-knowing Longcenpa. Its great expansion was effected in the time of the conqueror Rangjung Dorje. ,,644
Kumaradza had thoroughly trained himself in the conduct of a b? dhisattva and so, by the power ofgreat compassion, he totally devoted to planting by skilful means the seed of liberation in many vIllages and districts. He gave safe passage to all who travelled on the dangerous trail from Kongpo to E; and he was truly en- dowed WIth loving kindness toward wild animals, fish, and other feeble creatures. Thus, he unstintingly exerted himself to form sanctuaries by the mountains, roads, and rivers; and he made the land happy and gentle. He alleviated the misfortunes offrost, hail, and infectious disease and so on, in all the districts, towns and countries in which he dwelt; and he was totally devoted to benefitting others.
Kumaradza was able to explain the instructions of the Innermost
S" I'
pIntua lty without mixing them with other systems of the stage of
572 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
perfection; and thus he created a philosophical system in the technical language [of the Great Perfection itself]. 645 The tip of his nose was marked with the syllable A. EkajatI, protectress of the way of secret mantra, Rahula, the planetary divinity, and the oath-bound Dorje Lekpa obeyed his command,646 and he could converse with them as with men. By supernormal cognitive powers he knew the thoughts of those requiring teaching and thus was skilled at teaching, and could bless the minds of others.
To all the fortunate ones who were his disciples special signs arose at the time of his passing. For all of these reasons he is said to have been an emanation of Vimalamitra. And there is a prophecy in the Penetration ofSound which refers to him as Gelong Pelden, the "Glorious Monk". 647
After innumerable acts of service to living creatures, Kumaradza passed away during his seventy-eighth year, on Sunday 14 September 1343 (twenty-fifth day, eighth month, water female sheep). 648 His pas- sing was attended by sound, light, a rainbow canopy and other wondrous omens. His attendant Gomdar and other close followers were consumed with fervent devotion at that time, and the master rose again. Sitting cross-legged and smiling, he said, "Do not grieve. I am not dead. " And he gave them suitable instruction and advice. He prolonged his life for thirteen days and then, on the morning of the seventh day of the following month, his disciples asked, "What are we to do after your passing? Should we invite the all-knowing guru, Longcenpa? "
He answered, "Do not bother him. Ifeven now you have not resolved your doubts regarding the doctrine, then go to him. But I have already given you much advice. Do not indulge in idle talk. "
Then, crouching in the posture of a f$i he smiled, with his eyes fixed in the gaze of the buddha-body of reality. At dawn, on the eighth, he journeyed to wherever it is that the primordial city may be found. the cremation, which was held on the twenty-fifth of the month, hIS whole skull was left behind. It contained the ma1)<;iala of the Conquerors of the Five Families, a whole blue-coloured image of Bhanarika above the right ear, and five kinds of remains and relics. And all around there was a dense canopy of rainbow light.
Karmapa III) Rangjung Dorje
[236. 5-238. 5] The lord among conquerors, Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, was the actual presence in the world of the sublime Avalokitesvara. He was summoned from the expanse of reality by a song of indestructible reality [sung by] the <;iakinls of pristine cognition. Gazing upon beings with boundless compassion he entered the world by resurrectIng the corpse of the dead son of an elderly couple from TOlung. . said, "It is an ill omen for the eyes of the dead to see the hVIng. And they gouged out his eyes with a needle. .
The Karmapa then abandoned that body, which was no longer perfect with respect to the eight liberties and ten endowments. He transferred his consciousness and took birth as the son of a yogin and a yogin! .
It is well known that with the exceptions of Sakyamuni Buddha in
India and this great, accomplished master in Tibet, no one else possessed
such recollection of past lives, without even a hair's breadth of obscura-
tion, and was completely unpolluted by the taints of the womb. In
India and Tibet respectively, they were unique life-giving trees of the Buddha's teaching.
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 573
Kannapa JJJ) Rangjung Dorje
Karmapa obtained the treasure of the elixir of life at Samye Chimpu
and Yamalung; and he used it to prolong the life of the Chinese em- 649
He saw Vimalamitra vanish in the circle of hair between his own eyebrows, whereupon the intention of the Innermost Spirituality was properly revealed to him. But, in order to show others how to an. end on the guru in accord with the way of secret mantra, he surpassed pnde and studied the complete esoteric instructions of the Secret Inner-
most Spirituality under the awareness-holder Kumaradza. When he realised that there had to be a lineage of this teaching coming from the great master Padmasambhava, he had a vision of that master, the Second
peror.
574 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Buddha. He received the esoteric instructions of the Innermost Spiritu- ality directly from him; but to preserve the verbal lineage he invited Gyelse Lekpa of Sho, and received the complete teaching from him at the New Tsari Hermitage.
Moreover, Rangjung Dorje taught his own disciples to be adept in the Great Perfection. He gave to Menlungpa Sakya Zhonu and others an order saying that, in order to prevent the decline of this doctrine, it should be propagated in Tsang by YungtOn Dorjepel,650 in Kham and Kongpo by Yegyelwa, in Mongolia and China by Yeshe Gyeltsen, and in Central Tibet by Trtilkuwa.
There is a well-known prophecy referring to Karmapa Rangjung Dorje:
This teaching will be propagated
To the shores of the oceans,
By a bodhisattva who abides on the [ten] levels.
4 Longcen Rapjampa
Samantabhadra was naturally manifest in the expanse of Rangjung Dorje's mind; and when he had mastered the great treasure of his intention he originated the instructions known as the Innermost Spiritu- ality of Karmapa (karma snying-tig), which was also one fountain-head of the teaching.
651
[238. 5-277. 4] The second conqueror, the all-knowing lord of speech
from glorious Samye, Longcen Rapjampa, hailed from a line of noble
descent - that of Oki Kyinkorcen, the ruler of Ngenlam - in the village
of Todrong, in the Tra valley ofYoru. His clan was Rok, and his father
was of the twenty-fifth generation descended from the family of the
Gyelwa Choyang, who had been a direct disciple of the great
master Padmasambhava, and one of the "seven men who were tested".
This figure was also known by the name or, in Tibetan,
Yeshe Wangposung. 652 Longcenpa's grandfather, Lhasung, had lived
for one hundred and fifty years by achieving the alchemical transforma-
tion of deathless nectar; and his father, master Tenpasung, was adept
at the sciences and the yoga of mantras. Longcenpa's mother, Dromza
Sonamgyen, was descended from the family of DromtOn Gyelwei
653
Jungne.
When Longcenpa was conceived his mother dreamt that the rays of
the sun shone upon the forehead of an enormous lion, illuminating the three world realms, and vanished into her body. On Saturday 2 March 1308 (tenth day, second month, earth monkey year of Phurbu, fifth cycle)654 he was released from her womb. Namdru Remati raised the babe in her hand,655 just as Devendra had done to Prince Siddhartha, and said, "I shall protect him. " She returned the child to the mother and vanished.
Because the bodhisattva was rich from the beginning in sublime wealth, the attributes of faith and compassion were clearly and un- obstructedly present within him. From his fifth year he knew well how to read and write. He received many means for attainment and cere- monies from his father, such as those of the Gathering of the Sugatas of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad bder-'dus), Vajrakfla, HayagrTva, and the Text on the Rites of the Guru (bla-ma'i las-gzhung). He also obtained a sufficient understanding of medicine, astrology and the other sciences. In his ninth year he memorised completely the sl1tras of the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in Twenty-
576
History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
(rgod-tshang-pa'i lam-khridj; the Object of Cutting; and Pacification ac- cording to the Early, Middle and Later Traditions (zhi-byed snga-phyi-bar- gsum).
In his nineteenth year Longcenpa entered the seminary of Sangpu Neutok, which had been founded by Ngok Lekpei Sherap, and which was the great academy for the study of logic in Tibet. 656 Under master Tsengonpa, the fifteenth to hold the seat of LingtO [at Sangpu], and Labrangpa Chopel Gyeltsen, the sixteenth to hold the seat, he studied the scriptural authorities and theoretical reasoning of the dialectical vehicle, including the Five Doctrines ofMaitreya, the Seven Sections on Valid Cognition, Transcendental Perfection, and Madhyamaka. From Pang Lo Lodro Tenpa he received such inner treatises as the Five Pro-
found Sutras (zab-chos mdo-Inga), which include the Sutra of the King of Contemplation; the Detailed Commentary on the Heart Sutra of Dis- criminative Awareness (Aryaprajiiaparamitahrdayatfka, T 3821); and many other miscellaneous transmissions, along with all the outer and ordinary subjects: grammar, poetics, prosody, drama and so on. Thus, he reached the culmination of learning.
When Longcenpa propitiated SarasvatI, Acala, and the White VarahI he had visions of them all. In particular, SarasvatI, the goddess of melodious sound, carried him in the palm of her hand and showed him around Mount Sumeru and the four continents in seven days. From her he received a prophecy [of his impending enlighten- ment].
He independently achieved the great accomplishment of un- obstructed intelligence, and so, obtaining fearless brilliance in [the study of] the prolific scriptures and sciences, the great drum of his reputation resounded in all directions, conferring on him the titles "Samye Lungmangwa" (Samye's Recipient of Many Transmissions) and "Longcen Rapjampa" (Extensively Learned One who is Like Vast Space). 657
Under four gurus, including masters Ten Phakpa, Zhonu Tondrup, and Nyotingmawa Sangye Trakpa, he studied teachings belonging to the Ancient Translation School of the vehicle of indestructible reality, in particular, the Trio of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class, as well as the Collected Tantras of the Nyingmapa (rnying-ma rgyud-'bum). Under the master Zhongyel and others he studied the complete tradition of the sublime Nagarjuna, including the Clearly Worded Commentary and the Introduction to the Madhyamaka [both by Candraklrti]. Under Zhondor he studied [San- tideva's] Introduction to the Conduct ofa Bodhisattva and Compendium of Lessons, and so on, as well as the Cycle of the Meditational Deities of Atisa (jo-bo'i yi-dam-skor), the Six-limbed Yoga (Kalacakra- and the Six Doctrines [ofNaropa, nil-ro chos-drug, T 2330]. Under his preceptor he studied the Cycle of Trhopupa (khro-phu-pa'i
Longcen Rabjampa
. . E' ht Thousand Lines, by recItmg t e
five Thousand Lmes m rg h hundred times. In
receptor Samdrup 0 amy,e an
P
andwascapableof 11S owerments, instructions year. At sixteen he receIved ma:. yR' those of the Path and FrUIt m u c h g u i d a n c e f r o m m a s t e r ; r x ( c h o s - d r u g g n y i s ) ; t h e
(lam-'bras); the Two Systems 0 " d T 1551-6)' Cakrasarrzvara TT -h-(phagmo1chos- rug, ' 2)
T h. . lt m Lodro . received the name s u n h stud' of the Vinaya of the true doctnne
g
Longcenpa made a th? r? u . me:nin to others during his fourteenth
Six Doctrines of v ,r - nta ada (bde-mchog dril-bu-pa, T 143 accordingtotheTradztwnofc. ha. . . : f(ph a -rdor'khor-chen). FromgurUS and the Great Assembly ofV ydg hopupa he received many
W -yeTontshu,anTr , .
such as master ang , . 1 d'ng those be10ngmg to t
he
. .
ordained as a novice by the e master Ktinga Ozer; and he
tantras of the way of secret mantra, mc u. I d also the Indestructible - nd Yogatantra, an h
Kriyatantra, Caryatantra, a _ T 372), the Buddhakapala; t e Tent; the Ocean of pakas the precious Zalungpa Vajra Garland; the Kalaca raj tru,tions of Zhang Tshelpa (zhang-
and others he receIved the of ns tshal-pa'i gdams-skor); the Gwdance on t
Path according to Gotsangpa
h m one
;
Longcen Rapjampa 577
578 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Longcen Rapjampa 579
skor) and the Doctrinal Cycle of Kharak (kha-rag chos-skor), as well as the Ocean ofMeans for Attainment (sgrub-thabs rgya-mtsho, T 3400-644), the Hundred Brief Doctrines (chos-chung brgya-rtsa, T 4465-567), the
Transmissions of the Vinaya, and a great many others.
Longcenpa studied many transmitted doctrines under lord Rangjung Dorje, including the Six-limbed Yoga and its Means to Remove Obstacles (sbyor-drug gegs-sel dang bcas-pa); the Six Doctrines ofNaropa, the Intro- duction to the Three Bodies (sku-gsum ngo-sprod), Jinasagara (rgyal-ba rgya-mtsho), Avalokitesvara according to the Tradition of the King (spyan-
ras-gzigs rgyal-po-lugs), Guhyasamaja, the Sampura Tantra (T 381), the Mahamaya, and the forms of Red and Black Yamari (T 468-70). Under master Wangtstil he studied the Six-limbed Yoga, the 0cf4iyana Tradition ofRitual Service and Attainment (bsnyen-sgrub, i. e. o-rgyan bsnyen-sgrub),
teachings on vital energy (rlung-skor), and many others as well. Under
658
Lama Tampa [Sonam Gyeltsen] of Sakya
found doctrines of the Sakyapa, including the Great Development of the Enlightened Mind (sems-bskyed chen-mo), and the Path and Fruit. Under Zhondor of Shuksep-ri, a disciple in the line of the three famous gurus
of the lineage of Pacification - namely, Ma [Choki Sherap], So[-cung Gendtinbar], and Kam [Yeshe Gyeltsen]659 - he studied the Three Doha Cycles (do-ha skor-gsum), the Three Cycles on Retreat Practice (ri-chos skor-gsum), and the Hundred Causal Relations (rten-'brel brgya-rtsa).
In short, Longcenpa comprehended most of the philosophical and spiritual systems that were known in the land of snow mountains. He developed an unobstructed facility for explanation, disputation, and composition. Thus, he thoroughly mastered all the branches of conven- tional science [i. e. grammar, logic, etc. ], the textual traditions of the
sl1tras and of the way of mantras, the cycles of esoteric instruction, and
so forth.
Then, because in general he was endowed with boundless sorr? w
and disillusionment at the condition of the world, he resolved to hve in solitude. Seeing the partisan behaviour and misconduct of the Khampa scholars66o at his college Longcenpa became disgusted and decided to go off to live as a mendicant free from worldly cares. The
preceptor and students, who perceived the rare incisiveness of this holy
man could not bear it and earnestly tried to delay his departure. But " 661
he set out undeterred. Near the reliquary of the great translator Ngok,
he met an inquisitive monk who sought to delay him further. Longcenpa disclosed the nature of his distress and the monk also complained of the behaviour of the Khampa scholars. The monk encouraged him and said, "Now that you have left the college and there is no limitation on your ability as an author, you should publicise the infamy of the Kham-
pas. " For amusement Longcenpa filled a small page, which the monk carried and attached to the throne in the teaching court. When the Khampas noticed it they removed the letter from sight,. but the thirty-
line alphabetical poem, beginning with the line, "Like the ogres who roam in Kalinga. . . ," circulated all over the kingdom. 662
Longcenpa then wandered about without direction, and devoted him- self exclusively to practice. When he had practised yoga in darkness for five months in the Gyamei Cokla Cave, he heard the music of cymbals and melodious song. When a visible manifestation arose, he saw that it was a girl of sixteen years, robed in a train of silk, adorned with gold and turquoise ornaments. She rode upon a horse covered with leather mail that was adorned with bells, and her own face was concealed by a golden veil. He clasped the hem of her dress and prayed, "Please bless me, sublime one! " She removed a crown of precious gems from her head and placed it upon the head of the all-knowing one, saying, "From now on I shall always bless you, and bestow accomplish- ment on you. " Longcenpa remained immersed for a long while in a blissful, radiant, non-discursive contemplation. This was an auspicious sign that he would encounter a doctrine associated with the esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection.
Then, in his twenty-ninth year, he went to meet the genuine guru Kumaradza, who was residing in the uplands of Yartokyam at Samye during the spring and summer seasons. Ort the way he met Yakde Pa1). cen,663 who urged him to approach His Presence, the Karmapa, but Longcenpa continued his journey without paying attention. In the uplands of YarWkyam he met the awareness-holder Kumaradza, who lived with his group of disciples in about seventy fabric wind-breaks. The master said to them, "Last night I dreamt that a wonderful bird, which announced itself to be a divine bird, came with a large flock in attendance, and carried away my books in all directions. Therefore, someone will come to hold my lineage. " He was utterly delighted.
At the same time Longcenpa was abjectly sad, because he had no tribute to offer for the doctrine. He thought, "I should not approach the guru without some tribute for the doctrine. As I have none, I should be ashamed to move on during the daytime, so I will go to the lower part of this valley at dawn tomorrow. " But the guru, who knew of his thoughts by supernormal cognitive powers, told [his disciples] that Longcenpa was blameless, for he had offered his tribute inwardly. Two of them repeated this to Longcenpa, who greatly rejoiced.
To arouse disillusionment [towards the world] in his disciples, the awareness-holder Kumaradza had no fixed home. During the spring and summer of that year he wandered nine times from one deserted valley to the next. Because it seemed as if they had to move just as they had made camp, Longcenpa could obtain neither food nor clo- With the change of seasons he was completely worn ;ut by the bItter cold and the icy terrain; and he survived for two months on nothing but three measures of flour and twenty-one mercury pills. Then, when the snow fell he lived inside a sack garment which served
he studied the many pro-
580 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Longcen Rapjampa 581
both as a robe, and as a bed. In these and other ways he endured inconceivable austerity for the sake of the doctrine.
That year he obtained the empowerments, guidance and instructions
on the Great Perfection, the secret Innermost Spirituality, and then he
meditated upon it.
The next year Kumaradza filled him, as if he were a vase, with higher
empowerments and with the tantras, transmissions, and esoteric instruc- tions of the Three Classes of the Great Perfection, along with the rites of the protectors of the doctrine. He was appointed to be the successor to the teaching, and vowed to practise [in retreat] for six years.
In his thirty-first year Longcenpa guided many fortunate beings to spiritual maturation and liberation at Nyipu Shl! ,ksep, by of the Innermost Spirituality. At that time a yogin, Ozer Koca, dIscovered the text of the Innennost Spirituality of the l)akinf after great trials; and he offered it to Longcenpa to examine. Simultaneously, Longcenpa received the book in a dream from [the protectress] Shenpa Sokdrupma
(Butcher Life-grantress). . .
The following year, his thirty-second, while he was practIsmg at Rimochen in Chimpu, he gave teaching of the Innermost Spirituality to eight fortunate yogins and yoginIs. When he conferred the blessing
of the elaborate empowerment one yoginI was possessed by the protectress of mantra; and she began to dance. The other disciples could not bear her radiance, but the guru said, "You need not worry because she is possessed by a <;lakin! . As I am a yogin who has realised that mind and appearances are of the same savour, no obstacles will come of it. "
Then the yoginI bowed before the guru. Gazing upon the maJ). <;lala, she said, "Why is there no peacock quill? "
Longcenpa replied, "I have visualised it mentally. "
"In this symbolic doctrine, what has that got to do with it? " With that question, she removed the vase's supporting platform and set down three vases fastened together. The master then performed the ceremony in perfect detail and she clasped her hands together and her approval. When he omitted the final letter s from the word rzgs, and pronounced it as rik, she said, "No, no! You should say while he was reciting the mantra, she said, "You should ImItate me,
and she sang it in a strange, harmonious melody in the <;lakinIs' language. During the actual ground or main part of the empowerment, the yoginI sang a song about view and meditation which are beyond the
range of intellectual appraisal:
Mind free from meditation is joyful.
Mind free from meditation - Oh my! it is happy.
Saying that the offerings were of poor quality and insufficient, . she offered, instead, her melodious song. And during the feast offenng,
when nectar was offered to the guru, she said, "This is a sacrament of the <;lakinIs. You must take it, by all means. " And she invited him to drink it all.
At that time, the group of disciples also became exhilarated and they began to sing and to dance. They attained one-pointed absorption in inner radiance, which transcends ordinary sleep,665 and they could actually see the forms of various warriors, gakinIs, and protectors of the doctrine. A black woman appeared and said, "The first fruits of the offering of barley flour have diminished. " And the oath-bound Dorje Lekpa appeared in the form of a white man who said, "There is no red ornament [i.