1081 From his father he obtained [the vow of] the cultivation of the enlightened
attitude
and studied fully, and trained himself in, the cycles of the transmitted precepts of the Ancient Translation School, the foremost being the trilogy of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
0 lllg 1 d.
ant lineage until the present day without doct:ine has contlllued as a teachings1 have been well preserved
12 Ratna Lingpa
declllle. Moreover, some IS h
by the blessing of a dose lllleage, t e s
venerable Khyentse Wangpo.
uccession of which fell to the
[580. 3-583. 4] The great emanational treasure-finder Ratna Lingpa was the reincarnation of Langdro Koncok Jungne. He was born on Thursday 2 August 1403 (fifteenth day, seventh month, water sheep year, seventh cycle)1064 at Trushtil in Lhodrak. His father was a wealthy man named Dode Tar, and his mother Sitar Men. From childhood he learned to read and write without difficulty. From about his tenth year onwards he had many pure visions. By the power of his training during past lives, he learned all the sciences easily and also studied the doctrine extensively.
When Ratna Lingpa was in his twenty-seventh year Guru Rinpoche emanated as an ascetic from Kham, wearing a yellow hat and robe. He actually gave him an inventory of treasures and instructed him. Accord- ingly, in his thirtieth year he extracted his first treasure trove from Khyungcen Rock. It consisted of the Cycle ofthe Meansfor the Attainment of the Three Roots (rtsa-gsum sgrub-skor), et cetera. From then on, he gradually discovered twenty-five treasure troves, of which the foremost were the Attainment ofHayagnva and Vajravarahf as Consorts in Coales- cent Union (rta-phag yab-yum zung- }ug-tu sgrub-pa), found at Dritang Koro Trak; and the Four Cycles of the Gathering ('dus-pa skor-bzhi), the Peaceful and Wrathful Guru (gu-ru zhi-drag), the Great Compassionate One as the Gathering ofSecrets (thugs-chen gsang-'dus), and the Sun which Illuminates the Expanse of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen klong-gsal nyi-ma), which were discovered at Namkecen in Lhodrak.
When Ratna Lingpa discovered the treasure at glorious Phukring in Kharcu he displayed inconceivable supernormal cognitive powers and miracles, including a wonderful array of magical feats. He met Orgyen Rinpoche [in visions] twenty-five times, visited the Copper-coloured Mountain in a vision, and so forth, as it is related in his Biography of the Thirteen Stores (mdzod-khang bcu-gsum-gyi mam-thar). He often per- formed the Attainment of Elixir [according to} the Attainment of Mind (thugs-sgrub sman-sgrub) and the Attainment ofMedicinal Pills [from the Flesh of One} Born [as a Brahman} Seven Times (skye-bdun ril-sgrub),
794
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
to collect textual traditions from all quarters, including the abbreviated set of the Collected Tantras which was preserved at Ukpalung. Realising that the complete, continuous lineage of their transmission was not to be found anywhere in Kham or in Tibet, except with Megom Samten Zangpo of Tsang, his heart could not bear the approaching end of the continuous line of transmission. Although the venerable Megom was exceedingly aged, the master and disciple both made great efforts over a long period of time and thus he received it. Later, Ratna Lingpa arranged the Collected Tantras altogether at Lhlindrup Palace in Trushiil, and had new copies prepared, the earlier ones in ink, and the later ones in gold. In connection with this he propagated the continuous transmission many times. Therefore, it is certainly only by the compas- sion of this great treasure-finder that today we can still enjoy these secret tantras, which are like wish-fulfilling gems. Thus, he was uniquely most propitious to the teaching of the Ancient Translation School, in general.
After bringing such deeds to completion, Ratna Lingpa, then in his seventy-sixth year [1478], passed away into the Palace of Lotus Light, accompanied by the most wonderful miracles. Many fine lineages of his sons and disciples, including those of the four spiritual sons dear to his heart, have continued until the present day, and the enlightened activity of his profound doctrine has been preserved without decline.
.
of these occaSIOns was
thereevent esI . .
L' utterly perfect, Ratna mgpa
. .
Since the auspICIOUS co
. e .
d ' d treasures of three ll1etImes,
found in a single l1etIme
k
and hence became nown un
h
der tree na
Ratna Lingpa
owerments, guidance, and instruC-
and when he granted or emP . rainbow lights shone, rains of d
tion, there were inexpressIble fragrance of incense. On none
flowers fell, and all was perva e h l'ghtest kind of obstacle.
mCldence was (I'e' ] the estme
d"l meso Zhikpo Lingpa, Dro u . .
t Kailash to Gyelmorong m . d
liberation. ntras of the Nyingmapa, the AncIent Above all, during that era, tal d d in the Kangyur owing to the Translation School, were not mc . e the Denkanna Catalogue of the
following statement dWkhiChhiS floduann_d:r_ma, T 4364):
(bk "gyur ar-c ag Kangyur a -
M
L' a From oun
Lingpa, and Ratna bl living creatures in maturatIon an Kham he established mnumera e .
. antras of the secret Because of their great strictness Inner t
mantras are n
ot set forth here.
d their transmis- Ratna Lingpa made great efforts
.
For this reason bneage
s of both the texts an sions had become exceedmgly rare.
Ratna Lingpa 795
13 Perna Lingpa
J
'
h e no OJ the Transmitted
[583. 4-588. 2] Orgyen Perna Lingpa,1066 who was hailed as the fourth
of the five kingly treasure-finders, was the last of the five pure incarna-
tions of the royal princess Pemasel. 1067 His birth at Mon Bumthang
in 1450 (iron male horse year, eighth cycle) was attended by many
omens. His father was Tondrup Zangpo of the Nyo clan, and his mother
Trongma Peldzom. Since, in his previous life, he had been the all-know- may ing Trime Ozer [Longcenpa], he awoke to the genuine enlightened
family during his childhood. He learned several scripts, the crafts, and so forth, without having been taught.
In particular, on Wednesday 31 July 1476 (tenth day, seventh month, monkey year),1068 in the place called Yige Trukma, Perna Lingpa actu- ally beheld the visage of Orgyen Rinpoche, who blessed him and placed in his hands an inventory of one hundred and eight great treasure troves. Accordingly, in his twenty-seventh year he brought forth the first of all his profound treasures, namely, the Cycles of the Luminous Expanse of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen klong-gsal-gyi skor-mams), from the famous Lake Mebar, where the Tang River meanders in the form of a knot near Naring Trak. Surrounded by a multitude of people he entered the lake without hesitation, holding a burning lamp in his hand. Then, when he re-emerged, the lamp in his hand was unextin- guished, and he carried under his arm a great treasure chest, about the size of a clay pot. Everyone was amazed and became established in the faith of conviction. Consequently, Perna Lingpa's indisputable reputa- tion covered the land like the sun and moon.
In the same way, he discovered the Great Perfection, the Gathering of SamantabhadraJs Intention (rdzogs-chen kun-bzang dgongs-Jdus) at Samye Chimpu. Moreover, from their respective treasure sites he brought forth the Cycle ofthe Small Son which is a Non-Dual Tantra of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen gnyis-med-rgyud bu-chung-gi skor); the Guru, an Ocean of Gems; the Great Compassionate One, the Lamp which Dispels Darkness (thugs-rie chen-po mun-sel sgron-me); the Eight Transmit- ted Precepts, the Mirror ofMind (bkaJ-hrgyad thugs-kyi me-long), the Kfla
which is the Utterly Secret TT. 't 1R Pema Lingpa 797 h C v1a azor(Phur-p
t e 0lcle of the Attainment oif I\T El' k ) [ h' J. vectar- lXlr (bd d ' ,
s or, w Ich three cycles togeth
p recepts, Kfla, and Elixir (bk er constItute] th n' . f :7 Vajrapa7Ji as the Subduer of th -p ur-sman-gsum); [the teachings of]
dregs-Jdul dang gtum-chung)' th: Grrogant and as Slight Rage (phyag-rdor on the Wrathful [Guru] (drag- 0 andLesser[Teachings
on Longevity, the Vajra the Guidance ment of Longevity, Integrating n. hr phreng-ba); the Attain- lam-khyer); the Black Tnwgy ( skWlt t e Path (tshe-sgrub nor-bu
(las phran-gyi skor)' and rna nag-po s the Cycle ofMinor Rites 1 · ' ny others. Llkew' h .
menta objects, and of images b k Ise, t e profUsIOn of sacra- o
of one] born seven times [as 'b °h sand Stilpas, including [the flesh
a raman]whohl'b
representative images of Guru Pad IC 1 erates when tasted,
d
ered], the imagination. masambhava [that he discov-
an
In partIcular, in a ravine this t
of Lho Kyercu which had unearthed the temple . 'I ' not preVIOusly b . 'b
SImI ar to the temple of P I s
een VISI Ie, and which was umpa [at S ] 1069
b
" e tsap e VIsIted by everyone at th
PemaLingpa
amye . That temple e present day. Among the riches Perna
u -rtsl sman-sgrub-kl1i
798 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Lingpa discovered as treasures were the life-supporting turquoise gems of the religious king Trhisong Detsen called "Blazing Light", "Blazing Light of a Thousand Mountains", and "Red House Snowpeak"; the seamless robes of the Princess; 1070 a clairvoyant mirror; and many other especially sublime riches of the royal dynasty.
Although an inventory of one hundred and eight treasure troves had come into Perna Lingpa's hands, he could not discover more than half of them. Later, when the treasure-finder was approaching death, his son asked for permission to find the others, but the master said, "It will be hard for you to find the treasure doctrines. But if you purely guard your commitments and pray to me, you may possibly find some minor ones. " Accordingly, his spiritual son Dawa is known to have
1071
brought forth some treasure troves, toO.
Moreover, the vastly wonderful deeds of Perna Lingpa were incon-
ceivable. He prophesied that in the future he would become the buddha named Vajragarbha in the Buddha-field of the Lotus Array, and said that all those presently associated with him, as well, would be reborn in that realm and become the disciples of that buddha.
Concerning the host of disciples who were his spiritual sons, there is a prophetic declaration among his treasures:
Ten thousand will be associated by [the force of] past deeds. One thousand and two will be associated by aspiration. Those associated through the profound essential point
will be eleven.
Seven will be maJ). Qala-holders.
And three will be spiritual sons, dear to his heart.
In conformity with this prophecy, an inconceivable number of dis- ciples appeared. Among them, the foremost were the six emanational treasure-finders; the six great accomplished masters; the six great sons who had manifestly disclosed the signs of accomplishment; Tshliltrim Peljor, the great preceptor of the Conangpa residence [Phlintsoling], Nangso Gyelwa Tondrup, and Triilku Chokden Gonpo, who were the three spiritual sons whose intention was the same as that of the treasure- finder himself; and his four physical sons, who were emanations of the Lords of the Three Families. Of these, his spiritual son Dawa, who was the emanation of Avalokitesvara, had inconceivable, expressive powers of blessing. He realised the intention of his father and as a result his enlightened activity became extensive. He was praised as a great, holy individual and revered as a guru by Sakya Dakcen, Drigung Rincen Phtintsok, Zhamarpa Koncok Yenlak, Pawo Chogyel Tondrup, and others. He was also supplicated by all sorts of important persons from Central Tibet, Tsang, and Mon in the south, and his enlightened
' . . b '
actIVIty In the service of oth
Perna Lingrl1a 799
1-'
bi
e. None the less,
h
ecame Incon
. ceIva
ers
e practised the way of yoga in secret
The transmission of Perna Lingpa's 'rofi
passed down and propagated by kdoctnnes was gradually Tondrup Pelbar, who were renowned atso. RangdrOl and Umdze
masters, as well as by his own
f h· "
o IS spIntua1 Son [Dawa] wh
h
.
he two Incomparable doctrine- emanation d h .
speec
. s an t e emanatIOns 0 occupIedtheseatatLh 1 .
'
ra. ptothepresentda th l' aungInLho-
dkU
the regions of Mon in the y the Icneage has. been spread throughout
Th .
e entIre stream of its em
.
contInues without decline.
sou , entral TIbet T '
powerments trans . .
d
sang an
, m I s S I O n s , and gUIdance
Dokam. .
14 Karma Lingpa
ment of unimpeded supernormal cognitive power and enlightened activity.
In his fifteenth year, the prophetic declaration and the auspicious coincidence came together. From Mount Gampodar, which resembles a dancing god, he extracted the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, the Natural Liberation ofIntention (zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol); the Great Compas- sionate One, the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities ofPadma (thugs-rje chen-po padma zhi-khro); and other treasures. He gave the complete doctrinal cycle of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of Padma (padma zhi-khro'i chos-skor) to fourteen great disciples, who were the masters of his doc- trine. But he gave the doctrinal cycles of the Natural Liberation of Intention to his son, Nyinda Choje alone; and he sealed the lineage with an injunction that for three generations it should be transmitted to only a single person. Because he did not form the auspicious connec- tion with the consort prophesied for him, Karma Lingpa passed into another realm after not very long.
The Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, the Natural Liberation of Intention was vastly propagated by Namka Choki Gyamtso, the third generation successor. The continuous lineage of its empowerment, transmission and guidance is found throughout Central Tibet, Tsang and Kham, and, in particular, in the southern and northern districts of Dokam. The enlightened activity of the Great Liberation by Hearing during the Intermediate State [bar-do thos-grol chen-po, i. e. the so-called "Tibetan
Book of the Dead"] continues to be extensively propagated in most
1072
[588. 3-589. 4] The treasure-finder Karbma ometime during the sixth k L. . ' Gyeltsen was orn s
translator Co ro U1 '1 3 8 7 ] at Khyerdrup, above Takpo. cycle [24 January 1327 to 20 January
He was the eldest son of the great ahcco
h ld of t e man
ra·
nd dwelt as the very embodl-
and he lived as an up 0 er 'b wasendowedwithinnumerableattn utesa
.
Karma Lingpa
Lingpa
an emanation of the
m lished master Nyinda Sangye, p t tradl'tl'on Karma Lingpa
places up to the present.
Karma Lingpa 801
15 Thangtong Gyelpo
covered many other pro[;ound t Thangtong Gyelpo 803 I reasures as well d ·
concea ed many treasure troves [at those site] ,an ,In exchange, he ? yelpo subdued an evil extr s. . .
! 'Camata In IndIa, and barbarian tribes on emIst kmg, wh? resided at
[589. 4-593. 1] The mighty lord among accomplished masters, Thang- tong Gyelpo,I073 was the combined emanation of Avalokitesvara and the glorious Hayagrlva, who came forth as if Guru Padmasambhava had taken birth from the womb. He incarnated at Olpa Lhartse in upper Tsang in 1385 (wood ox year, sixth cycle). Adhering to more than five hundred tutors, he pursued study and reflection without limit. Although he was a naturally arisen, mighty lord among accomplished masters, by virtue of necessity he received the Northern Treasures in their entirety from Ktinpang Tonyo Gyeltsen and the Shangpa doctrines from the lama Dorje Zhonu;1074 and he revealed the attainment of accomplishment in both of these traditions. Through the disciplined conduct [of an adherent of the secret mantra] he journeyed to all parts of Jambudvlpa and its subcontinents and, in particular, to such places as the Lotus Light Palace on Camaradvlpa, where he heard the doctrine from Guru Rinpoche and numberless accomplished masters; and the gakinls and doctrine protectors did him obeisance.
Thangtong Gyelpo built many temples at geomantic focal points,
1075
He bound all the venomous gods and demons under oaths of allegiance. From Samye Chimpu he extracted five paper scrolls, including the Attainment of Longevity, the Giver of the Glory of Immortality (tshe-sgrub 'chi-med dpal- ster). From Trampagyang he brought forth the Attainment of Mind, Utterly Secret and Unsurpassed (thugs-sgrub yang-gsang bla-med); from Druptso Pemaling, the Jewel Hoard of Esoteric Instruction (man-ngag tin-chen gter-spungs); from Taktsang (the "tiger den") at Paro in Mon, a ten-span-Iong paper scroll which combined the profound, essential points of all the SlUras and tantras; from the Palace of Secret Mantra in Tsari, the Cycle of Profound Doctrines which are Mind Treasures (zab- chos thugs-gter skor); and from Zilcen Phuk in Tsari, the Illuminating Lamp which Contains the Prophecy of the Great Accomplished Master Himself (grub-chen-nyid-kyi lung-bstan gsal-ba'i sgron-me) and the Means for the Attainment of K:jetrapala (zhing-skyong-gi sgrub-thabs). He dis-
- ce uncount bl [.
stupas] representing the buddha-bod a e books, and
the range of the intellect. He built fil' and mmd, surpassing and established one hundred d Iron sUspension bridges and other inconceivable elg. teen ferry-crossings. I076 These beyond that, on these occasions . re renowned. Above and
? e depicted the lives of the past er to virtuous conduct, m dramatic performances. This h satt. vas, kings, and others known as Ace Lhamo, originated :atncal tradItIOn, which today is
which repelled invading armies from Tibet.
mtroduced them to the d · the borders of TIbet· and h . octnne. The arra f h · '
e was Immeasurable. He produ d yo suc mIraculous abilities
perfectly wonderful, enlighten d e
. [. n aspect of. Thangtong Gyelpo's] actIvIty, so meanIngful to behold. IOn
Thangtong Gyelpo
Finally, when the master reach d h·
he passed away bod. t . IS one hundred and twenty-fifth tIme hIS spiritual son Nyima Z 1 y, In the way of a sky-farer. At that
angpo sang a lament, at which he returned
804 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures .
. t Then he passed away at glonous and conferred his extenS1ve testamen .
. h 1078 R1WOC e.
. , . a reat accomplished master from
There was one Tshultnm Z;ngpoh and thirty and whose body,
Ngari who lived to the 0 one ht 1079 He and the accomplished 1g
16 Ngari Pa1Jcen Perna Wangyel
in the end, passed away m a mafssDo k m' seem to have been physical dCh Thti1cen0 0 a
master calle . ar r h d master Thangtong Gyelpo. projections of th1S great accomp 1S persons have been favoured by
Until the . day, Yhost of his disciples was infinite,
the body of his pnstlne cogmtlhon. e. C1'ous circumstance of this great . . I ing to t e ausp1
and, m ar, 0;" . ment of the state of a deathless awareness- accomphshed master s duration of his own life, there were
holder, who control t e . ned the accomplishment of longev1ty.
holders of h1S lineage who atta1 . . of the profound doctrine, h f uous transm1ssiOn
It appears that t. e con m zab-chos thang-stong snyan-brgyud
the Great Aural Lmeage of ( t o. f Longevity the Giver of the . d dthe ttammen ') ,
chen-mo) has an d 11 hools ancient and new. Later on, Glory of Immortalzty a was repeatedly favoured by the venerable Perna se ognition and blessed by him.
the body of Thangtong sdPnstme c l'ng group of doctrines, the . h hestabhsheanamaz .
Relymg on t. . e . f h Accomplished Master (grub-thob Innermost OJ t e d f h f m the expanse of his intentlon a mind treasure wh1ch Vast Creation and Perfection of
and which includes: the proJo;n . an t ifthe Guru which is the root the Cycle of the for the 'and, as branches, (rtsa-ba bla-sgrub-kYl skor . g t which are in harmony with the Five Cycles of Means for ;he class of tantras (rgyud-sde
the path of Maglcal Net, gb-thabs skor-Inga); and the
[593. 1-598. 3] The great pal). 9ita of Ngari, Perna Wangyel Dorje, was a mind emanation of the religious king Trhisong, and the ninth reincarnation of Gyelse Lharje. He was born in 1487 (fire female sheep' year, eighth cycle) in the district ofLowo Matang [present-day Mustang, Nepal]. 1080 His father, Jamyang Rincen Gyeltsen, a great learned and accomplished master, hailed from a divine clan and was a later incarna- tion of lord Marpa, and his mother was Drocam Trhompagyen. He was named Perna Wangyel.
In his eighth year Perna Wangyel became a layman.
1081 From his father he obtained [the vow of] the cultivation of the enlightened attitude and studied fully, and trained himself in, the cycles of the transmitted precepts of the Ancient Translation School, the foremost being the trilogy of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class. He practised many rites of service and attainment to the point of realising the signs [of success]. From master Norten Zangpo he received the Vinaya, sutras, Kadampa cycles (bka'-gdams-pa'i skor), and so forth. Starting in his twentieth year, Perna Wangyel thoroughly mastered a hundred great textual traditions, of which the for. emost were those of the Madhyamaka, logic, and Transcendental Perfection. Thus, he became meaningfully well known as a "spiritual benefactor" .
In his twenty-first year he received the [empowerments which bring about] maturation and [the guidance which brings about] liberation for the Red Yamiiri and so on, from Jamyang Chokyong, Tshtiltrim Pel, and others. Performing the rites of service and attainment, he actually beheld the visage of the wrathful MafijusrI. In particular, in his twenty- second year, he thoroughly resolved his doubts regarding the transmit- ted precepts and treasures of the Ancient Translation School under the tutelage of his holy, venerable father. 1082 When he performed the at- tainment of the Eight Transmitted Precepts, his father was inspired by extraordinary pure visions, and so praised him. Later, [the attributes praised by his father] became manifest.
sgyu-'phrul-gyllam dang mthun p . . . fthe Tantras
T gru . . ·ons and Esoteric Instructwns ransmlSSl ,
tial Summarzsatwn OJ • t the Eight Transmitted Precepts 0+ the Class of Means for Attammen , . p dril-ba) These
'} , dk' dlungman-ngagsnymg- or . (sgrub-sde bka Precious Treasure (rin-chen gter-mdzod).
are preserved 1n
'}
806
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
attainment for most of the extant traditions of the empowerments, tantras, and esoteric instructions of secret mantra belonging to the new and ancient traditions. He also travelled to the Kathmandu Valley, where he attended on many Newari and Tibetan gurus. Due to his connection with the places of pilgrimage and his practice of contempla- tion, pure visions arose without limit.
Starting from his thirty-eighth year, Perna Wangyel brought down
a great shower of doctrine, ancient and new, without bias: He decided
to restore the doctrinal lineages of the ancient and new traditions which
had deteriorated in Central Tibet and Tsang. Having obtained the
permission of his father and all the lords of Lowo, he proceeded to
Central Tibet via Zangzang Lhadrak, together with his younger brother,
1085
Ngari Par;,cen Perna Wangyel
During the early and later part dOfFhis . . d the Path an rult ro f
gyel tWlCe recelve , I d'nation at the seminary 0 twenty-fifth year he recelved ete or receptor of Lowo,1083
Samdrupling from S? nam gPandha, and who officiated who was the emanatlon of Jamyang then on Perna Wan- as both preceptor and master of ceremonles. ciate who remained on
gyel adhered to the discipline of adtotthael applications of the
one seat. 1084 He properly mastere I he became foremost Vinaya of the true doctrine, age Moreover, under among all those who held the u the great of Kuge, and
that great preceptor, e zang, 1 ' and 'many empower- " I h studled grammar, OglC,
At Zhungtrezhing, Perna Wangyel received the Ma. Q. cjalas of Ngok (rngog-dkyil) and the cycle of Red Yarnari from Ngokt6n Sonam Tendzin and Zhalu Locen of Tratang. Then he went to Samye and the pro- pensities of [his previous life as] the religious king Trhisong were mani- festly aroused. He performed the great attainment of the Gathering of the Sugatas of the Eight Transmitted Precepts in the middle shrine, and was favoured by Lhodrak Guru and others. From Trhengso Orgyen Chozang and Kongcen N amka Pelden he received the Gathering of the Guru's Intention. When he practised contemplation at Dra Yangdzong and Chimpu he had visions of many deities. Perna Wangyel was invited to Lhodrak by an eighth generation descendant of Guru Chowang. He restored the deteriorating doctrinal tradition there and performed other acts of great kindness.
This master studied the Gathering ofthe Sugatas ofthe Eight Transmit- ted Precepts alone twenty-five times, of which the last, which he received at Lhodrak Gonkar from the peerless, great, accomplished master Nam- kei Neljor of the Jeu clan, had a genuine and reliable origin. In this way his intention was totally fulfilled.
In particular, concerning his discovery of profound treasures: In his forty-sixth year, from a secret chest lodged in the back of the image of Vairocana with four bodies [facing in four directions, rnam-snang mi- bzhi] in the upper hall at Samye, Perna Wangyel brought forth the Final Gathering ofthe Transmitted Precepts which is the Doctrinal Cycle ofthe Entire Gathering ofAwareness-holders, the Meansfor the Attainment ofthe Seven-Chapter Supplication (bka'-'dus phyi-ma rig-'dzinyongs-'dus- kyi chos-skor gsol-'debs le'u-bdun-ma'i sgrub-thabs). He established most of it and it remains widely propagated even today.
He invited Drigung Rincen Phtintsok - Rikdzin Lekdenje having brought them together - and the three of them, master and disciples, reconsecrated Samye. This greatly aided the temporal and spiritual well-being of Tibet and Kham. After Perna Wangyel had thus limitlessly
(
Jamyang L0 drope e
I '
ew trans atlOn sc
hools of the secret mantra. ,
oured with the crowmng
f h ments and tantras 0 t e n
b
h
Training himself in these, he came to
e
on
title of Mahapa1JeJita. . d of the Northern Treasures under
Perna Wangyel also studle manyf Tran o. In short, as illustrated
Sakya Zangpo, the treasure-fidnder to the rites of service and above, he made efforts to stu yan
Ngari Pancen Perna Wangyel 807
On reaching the Emanational Temple of Lhasa [i. e.
Lekden Dorje.
the Jokhang], he obtained a prophetic declaration.
808 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
, g d livin creatures in Central Tibet, he de- benefitted the teach,m an f g b Montang for the great, glorious
parted, in his fifty-slxth rom n
Copper-colIloured individual's inconceivably learned,
Genera y spea {mg, ' I 'dated l'n his own verse autoblO- , d r hed career lS e UCl ,
mfied an accomp lS d the terse but profusely meamngful graph! ', compos; Vows (sdom-gsum rnam-par nges-pa'i Treatlse whIch Ascertams the Thre " ble Up to the
bstan-bcos),The,kindnesshof hold the present day thls work as een,
teachings of the Ancient Translauon School.
el became well known as a great promulgator
So it was that I 'fi d the teachings of the transmitted
who directly and mdlrect y, c an ,le I ' S hool In the life- , f the Anclent Trans atlOn c .
17 Rikdzin Jatsiin Nyingpo
d
Treasures, Trashi Topgyel, or Chogye :nation 1086 The
precepts and treasures 0,
, ' d' I! ' llowmg he returne
I Wan oide whose career
ume lmme late y 10 . .
as an has transmlsslOn 0
without decline.
s the master of the Northern a
[598. 3-604. 3] The great holder of indestructible reality, a monk re- nowned in one body under three names - those of the treasure-finder Letro Lingpa, the awareness-holder Jatson Nyingpo, and the mantra adept Hurpnak Mebar - appeared as an emanation from above of the compassion of Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo. Nyangben had completely realised the fruit and was supreme among the one hundred and eight disciples of the great master Orgyen who had attained the incorruptible body of light. 1087
Jatson Nyingpo was born in 1585 (wood female bird year, tenth cycle) as the sun entered into the constellation 1088 at Waru Namtstil in Kongpo. His father was Chokyong Gonpo, and his mother Namlung Putri. From childhood he was endowed with the propensities of the doctrine. From his third year he learnt to read just by being shown the script. Many times, too, he left impressions of his hands and feet in stone. From his twelfth year until his twentieth he studied general subjects, medical science in particular, and so reached the summit ofscholarship.
During that period Jatson Nyingpo repeatedly met Orgyen Rinpoche in reality, visions, and dreams. Inspired with renunciation and intense disgust at the world he fixed his mind one-pointedly on the true doctrine. He looked upon all sarpsaric states and associations as fire pits, and so, for the sake of the doctrine, escaped into the presence of the doctrine master Mipham Trashi Lodro. That master had a dream in which some women brought him an old stupa that had been built by the master Padmasambhava, saying, "It has to be reconsecrated. " When he per- formed the consecration, the stupa blazed into light. So, he realised that [his new disciple] was fortunate. Jatson Nyingpo was ordained as a novice and given the name Ngawang Chogyel Wangpo. He received numberless instructions, including the empowerments, guidance, and transmission of the way of secret mantra, and he passed the time ex- clusively in one-pointed practice. Moreover, he received all the sutra and mantra transmissions of the ancient and new traditions from Zhap- drung Norbu Gyenpa, the all-knowing Drukpa, Nyame Lhatsewa, and
810 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures .
. . . f here was nothing he had not studIed. In others, untIl It aS III t d' t' n from Lhatsewa, and thus attained particular, he receIved fu or ma 10
to the status of a monk.
Lhari, Kongtrang Gendtine, Zha Temple in Uru, and from elsewhere Jatson Nyingpo brought forth many profound treasures, including Great Compassionate One (thugs-rje chen-po), Hayagrfva and Varahf, the Wish-fulfilling Gem (rta-phagyid-bzhin nor-bu) , the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities) the Nucleus of Definitive Meaning (zhi-khro nges-don snying po), the Attainment ofLongevity, the Thunderbolt Vajra (tshe-sgrub gnam-Icags rdo-rje), Dorje TroW (rdo-rje gro-Iod), the Cycle of the Glorious Neuter Lord (dpal-mgon ma-ning skor), and the Guidebook to the Pilgrimage Place of Pemako (padma-bkod-kyi gnas-kyi lam-yig). Some of his treasures, such as the Gathering of All Precious Jewels were secret treasures, but most were discovered in public.
Jatson Nyingpo developed boundless supernormal cognitive and miraculous powers. He discerned concealed facts without obscuration, and he could even traverse waters and ravines without impediment. When he discovered the treasure on Mount Nyemo Lhari, in particular, Tratiwa of Kongpo and other irrational persons feared that the essences of the earth would be diminished. 1090 They tried to guard the treasure site with an army, but the treasure-finder became exhilarated and rode on his horse at a gallop right over the great rock abyss. Its faces were mirror-like, such as might allow none but a bird to escape, but Jatson's horse left a hoofprint on the stone surface. The master extracted the treasure in an instant and departed displaying his discipline and great miraculous abilities. The soldiers were terrified. They all became con- fused, but then he established them on the level of the faithful. By his inconceivable occult power and force he could subdue Tamsi spirits, repel armies, and so forth.
So it was that Jatson Nyingpo's manifold enlightened activities in- creased the [temporal and spiritual] well-being of Tibet, both in general and in particular. He favoured many fortunate disciples and bestowed on them the nectar of maturation and liberation according to the many doctrinal traditions belonging to the transmitted precepts and treasures of the ancient and new traditions. The master himself was dignified and maintained the conduct of total renunciation without transgressing his status as a monk. He also guided those he trained in such manners, so that they remained absorbed in the genuine path and established upon it.
At the isolated and lofty place called Pangri Jokpo, a location which he had opened up himself, he founded a retreat centre. It has been maintained and preserved, without decline, until the present day by the lineage of his successors, emanations, and others.
The first master of Jatson's doctrine was Gampo Zhapdrung Norbu Gyenpa, who opened the way for the enlightened activity [of those treasures]. From then on, Jatson Nyingpo extensively gathered [dis- ciples] from Central Tibet, Tsang, and Kham, among whom were the black-hat and red-hat Karmapa [i. e. the Karmapa and the Zhamarpa],
Rikdzin Jatson Nyingpo
ent seventeen years in a clay-sealed f ' t At that time he obtamed and thus hoisted up the 0 but he disregarded many prophetic declaratIons concernmg . '. - ' h ndred
When he had recited the ritual serVIce of VaJrapar:n ? ne u d tern. . d a h tic declaratIOn, an was million times, he once more d pr? p emaster Mipham Trashi
h
. . .
Jatson Nymgpo sp
encouraged by the most precIaOus 1620 (tenth day, first
13
oro, w ) h £ d a treasure inventory, wntten
L d . . hereupon on Thursd
month, iron male monkey year1 . e ? ;n chick-sized garuda image of in the hand of Yeshe Tshogye , In;I : at easures he was to discover.
cast iro. n. It the first Ht e t:an in Traklung he extracted Accordmgly, from the Iron gate 0 om . g Jewels (yang-zab dkon- the Utterly Profound Gathering of All nd he completely fulfil-
mchog spyi-'dus) and others as secret a 1 1089 f h' and theIr secret sea s.
led the attainment 0 IS treasures.
K the entrance to the pil-
Then, successively, from grimage place of Jonpalung w lC IS ca
ye.
Trhengdze, Nyemo
Rikdzin]atsonNyingpo 811
L ' ofthe Treasures 812 History: Close meages
. . ' k 1092 Drukpa Pak- 1091DrigungChoklTra pa,
Gyeltsap Trakpa k R'kdzin Ngagiwangpo, Tsele Natsok sam Wangpo,l°93 Done ra , 1 Rikdzin Trhinle Lhtindrup, Rangdro1 1094LhatstinNamkaJlkme, B k Trtilku Rikdzin Chbkl
18 Rikdzin Dudul Dorje
,
gyurwa Gonpo Sonam
. . G Gyamtso, Kunga yam
Chokden, Puwo a a h
I' hed master of Derge, t e great tso the accomp IS , d n
, d T bla Padmamatl. He bestowe 0
treasure-finder Done, a;doc:rine in its entirety, and so,formed
them the nectar of hIS profoun h l'ghtened activity [of hIS treas- , nces for teen 1
the auspicious Clrcumsta
ures] to spread thr? ughout all limits of such deeds he
When Jatson had reac ;nd ear [1656], signs and mIracles displayed, during hIS h's cognitive powers, at Pangri Jokpo and, as befitte : d In his doctrinal lineage there revealed his passage to a great purehan 'complished the body of light,
were many, earlier later 0;,;;0
during the time of Miwang
hasthetwowhodIdsoat a p
suc 1095 1 Sonam Topgyel. , ' 1 treasure-finder possessed the
In brief, al:hough thIS _ superior, m-
of the four kmds of k f in the prophetIc declara- , f' whIcharespo en0 f
ferior, and most m enor - h' lightened aspiration and the orce
[604. 3-610. 6] The great treasure-finder and awareness-holder Dtidtil Dorje, a later incarnation of Drokben Khyeucung Lotsawa, was quite clearly prophesied in about thirteen ancient treasures. Accordingly, he was born in 1615 (wood female hare year, tenth cycle) on the shady side of the well-known [valley of] Ngtilpunang, in the Derge district of Dokam. His father was a learned physician of the Ling clan named Ludrup, and his mother was called Poluma, He studied writing, read- ing, and medical diagnosis under his father, and from his sixth year on experienced many pure visions. He spent his childhood at the sem- inary of glorious Lhtindrup Teng, where he offered a lock from his crown to Kunga Gyamtso, the accomplished master of Derge who was an emanation of Rikdzin Godemcen; and he received the name Kunga Sonam Chopak. He left his footprint on a boulder which even today rests behind the eastern door of the great assembly hall.
Then, while learning, training himself in, studying, and reflecting upon all sorts of texts of the glorious Sakyapa, Dudul Dorje searched for the nucleus, the meaning of pristine cognition, like a thirsty man craving water. As a result, he proceeded to the hermitage of Muksang, where he studied the Great Perfection and many other profound doc- trines under Drenpa Koncok Gyeltsen. By cultivating them experien- tially, the spacious expanse ofrealisation poured open. Then he travelled to the Central Tibetan districts. At Nyangpo he met the great ac- complished master Trashi Tsheten, and received many maturational and liberating instructions. At Trakar Lhacu he abandoned food and, relying on alchemy alone, perfected himself in the profound path of yoga associated with the energy channels, currents, and seminal points. By virtue of the auspicious connection made when he first entered the doctrine, he went to the monasteries of Sakya and Ngor in Tsang, where he received the Oral Transmission ofthe Path and Fruit (gsung-ngag lam-'bras) , and so forth. Then, during the return journey, he supplicated the great awareness-holder latson Nyingpo at Pangri, and received, in their entirety, many empowerments, esoteric instructions, and much
he reached the limits of the ' f
of his training were f
experiential cultivation doctrines was propagated
tions none the less, becau,se IS ebn,
, llysulIme,
d treasures. On the basIs 0
this the enlightened aCtIVIty 0 I d' and Nepal in the west to , h reafromnIa ,h
and spread throughout tea
in the east; an
the shores of the ocean 1096 decline, down to the present day.
d so it has remained, WIt out
L' ofthe Treasures
814 History: Close meages f guidance, Jatson's own pro oun
claring him to be fortunate he persevered it, he proceeded to Puwo, v: aUtterly Secret and Unsurpassed Kfla in the attainment of Ratna sd). At that time <;Hikinls transported
(rat-gling phur-pa a er-coloured Mountain, where, as
him in a dream to the pp _ . ght days. He received the . . h mamed for twenty el R'
he expenenced It, e re d l'berating [guidance] from Guru . m-
Pemakyi, who was of the enlightened family, to be his seal of action (kannamudra), and then, from Yutso Rincen Trak he brought forth an inventory, and from the Decen Sangwa Cave at the Dongcu in Puwo, the cycles of the Gathering of the Entire Intention of the True Doctrine (dam-chos dgongs-pa yongs-'dus). These were foremost among his pro- found treasures. He himself said that all those he discovered later were its supplements.
Then, gradually, Diidiil Dorje found the True Doctrine, the Innennost Spirituality of the Body of Emanation, together with [the rites of] the protector of this transmitted precept, (dam-chos sprul-sku'i snying-thig bka'-srung zhing-skyong dang-bcas-pa), at Tshawa Drodrak; the Profoundly Significant, Secret Innennost Spirituality (zab-don gsang-ba snying-thig) and the Cycle ofGlorious CakrasaJ? 1vara and the Four-anned Protector of Transmitted Precepts (dpal bde-mchog bka'-srung phyag-bzhi- pa'i skor) at Puri Takdzong; the Innennost Spirituality, the Trio of Amitayus, Yangdak Heruka, and Vajrakfla, with the Cycle of Its Protec- tress, Ekajatf, the Self-Arisen Queen (snying-thig tshe-yang-phur-gsum srung-ma e-ka-dza-ti rang-byung rgyal-mo'i skor) at P u r i Shelgi Yangdrom; the Guidebook to the Secret Land ofPemakii (sbas-yul padma bkod-pa'i gnas-yig) at the rock on the north bank of the Dongcu in Puwo; and the cycles of the Trio of Meditational Deities: Red Yamari, Black Yamari, and Bhairava (yi-dam dmar-nag-Jigs-gsum-gyi skor) at Trhomzil Trhomkaryak in the Derge district of Dokam. But, except for the Cycles ofthe Attainment ofPeaceful Mafijusrf (Jam-dpal-zhi-sgrub- kyi skor-rnams), he does not appear to have established the others. Although Dtidtil Dorje also discovered the Cycle of the Attainment of the Glorious Four-faced Protector and ofMahadeva (dpal-mgongdong-bzhi- pa dang lha-chen sgrub-skor) at Capu Cakpurcen; the Guru as the Gather- ing of Awareness-holders (bla-ma rig-'dzin 'dus-pa), the Attainment of Longevity, the Hot Sunbeam (tshe-sgrub tsha-ba dmar-thag) and the Cycle ofZhanglO'n and Pomra, Protectors ofthe Transmitted Precepts (bka'-srung zhang-blon dang spom-ra'i skor) in the central shrine of Samye; and the Crown Ornament of the Aural Lineage, the Cycles of the Wish-fulfilling Gem (snyan-brgyudgtsug-rgyanyid-bzhin nor-bu'i skor-rnams) in the upper shrine in the west wing of the Rasa Trhiilnang Temple [the Jokhang in Lhasa], it is certain that he did not establish them.
From Dtiri Namcak Barwa in Puwo the yogin Tungtrengcen brought forth the cycles of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Magical Net and of the Eight Transmitted Precepts along with the protectors of these transmitted precepts (sgyu-'phrul zhi-khro dang bka'-brgyad skor bka'- srung bcas), and from the Stone Stl1pa of Ratsak he brought forth the Cycle of the Glorious Tiger-riding Lord (dpal-mgon stag-zhon skor); and these he offered to Dtidm Dorje. Moreover, it is clearly stated in his History ofthe Treasures (gter-'byung) that he discovered many profound treasures, sooner or later, at Shinje Dongka in Yutso, Rikdzin Sangpuk,
maturational [empowerment] an. 1 poche in their entirety, and was glVen
prophetic declarations concernmg
. '
d treasures first and foremost among
them.
Above all, during thIS peno. d to treasure Complying with
d Diidtil Dorje received a prophecy de-
Rikdzin Dudul Dorje
. Mighty Kmg
. . lucidated in the master sown
treasure. ThIS and more IS e . l - ) Diidiil Dorje then went to
of Pure Vision (dag-snang on that dream,
meet the glorious Orgyen enthroned as a master of m- utterly delighted and had Dudu J Thereafter he lived as a great
. 1" th perfect honours. destructIble rea lty WI . tructible reality.
'
mantra adept and holder of m d e s . formity with the inventory
His first profound lfiI twenty-ninth year he took which had come into hIS possesslOn. n
--
,
Rikdzin DiidUl Dmje 815
816 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Serakcok, Nabun Dzong, Tasho Kyilkor Thang, and elsewhere. He
opened up many great pilgrimage places in Central Tibet and the frontier regions, the foremost of them being the secret land ofPemako. Together with the aforementioned treasure troves he extracted an inconceivable number of images, symbolic objects, and sacramental substances. In short, just as it was said that he would be the successor to a hundred sites and their treasures, as well as to a thousand substances which liberate when tasted, he disclosed the majority of them.
In his forty-second year Dudm Dorje was invited by the lama of Derge, Campa Phuntsok, and his nephew. In the former monastic residence of that master he built the famous Dudm Shrine and fulfilled, thereby, a prophecy of benefit to both the teaching and the state. He visited all the seats of the Nyingmapa, the Ancient Translation School, as far as Katok Dorjeden; and he favoured many fortunate disciples. The cottage where he stayed for a long time practising contemplation at Nopki Phutak Phudrak-ring, near Dzing Namgyel, exists even today.
Dudm Dorje travelled to the residence of the royal house of Ling (gling-tshang) and established an excellent patron-priest relationship with the king of Ling. 1097 When he manufactured [sacramental sub- stances by means of] the vase attainment of the Great Compassionate One as the King of Space (thugs-rje chen-po nam-mkha'i rgyal-po'i bum- sgrub),1098 there were wonderful signs which surpassed the imagination. [Sacraments] derived from those manufactured then continue to exist at the present day.
The master was gradually invited to Parkam, Puto,1099 Parma
Lhateng, Riwoche, and so on, where he infinitely benefitted the teaching
and living creatures. In particular, at Pornetrak he met with Namco
llOO
Mingyur Dorje.
an auspicious connection. The encounter had been arranged by the great accomplished master Karma Chakme,1101 who scattered flowers of praise on DUdm Dorje.
DUdUI Dorje established his seats at Decen Thang in PutO and at Yuri Gango, and he dwelt in these places for a long time. He clarified, in a general way, the gateway to the pilgrimage centre of the secret land of Pemako. Afterwards, when he had completed his personal deeds, he departed for the great Palace of Lotus Light during his fifty-eighth year, in 1672 (water male mouse). At that time there were sounds, lights, rains of flowers, and numberless other wonderful mira- cles. Particularly, most of his corpse dissolved into light. What re- mained, which was about one cubit in length, was offered to the flames, from which a mass consisting of five great remains and many relics was recovered.
This master's foremost personal disciples, who became the masters of his teaching, were Lhatsun Namka Jikme, Rikdzin Longsel
N .
Ylngpo, K"
1102
RikdzinD"d"lD
They exchanged doctrines and otherwise formed
Baka Trulku Ch"k' G
0 I yarntsoD k
U U orje 817 Perna Rikdzin 1103
unzang Khyapdel Lhundru th ,zo
many other of master
of Dud':1 ? IS dIsCIples were numberless. The l'YhIll the vicinity u one s doctnnal linea en Ig tened activit
particular, by Gyelse Norb yge was preserved without decline . Y
, u appeared III the lineage of hI'S d
ongdra and d
escen ants.
h ' III ot ers who successively
19 Lhatsun Namka Jikme
of the energy in the throat centre, so that everything he saId was always refined m word and meaning.
12 Ratna Lingpa
declllle. Moreover, some IS h
by the blessing of a dose lllleage, t e s
venerable Khyentse Wangpo.
uccession of which fell to the
[580. 3-583. 4] The great emanational treasure-finder Ratna Lingpa was the reincarnation of Langdro Koncok Jungne. He was born on Thursday 2 August 1403 (fifteenth day, seventh month, water sheep year, seventh cycle)1064 at Trushtil in Lhodrak. His father was a wealthy man named Dode Tar, and his mother Sitar Men. From childhood he learned to read and write without difficulty. From about his tenth year onwards he had many pure visions. By the power of his training during past lives, he learned all the sciences easily and also studied the doctrine extensively.
When Ratna Lingpa was in his twenty-seventh year Guru Rinpoche emanated as an ascetic from Kham, wearing a yellow hat and robe. He actually gave him an inventory of treasures and instructed him. Accord- ingly, in his thirtieth year he extracted his first treasure trove from Khyungcen Rock. It consisted of the Cycle ofthe Meansfor the Attainment of the Three Roots (rtsa-gsum sgrub-skor), et cetera. From then on, he gradually discovered twenty-five treasure troves, of which the foremost were the Attainment ofHayagnva and Vajravarahf as Consorts in Coales- cent Union (rta-phag yab-yum zung- }ug-tu sgrub-pa), found at Dritang Koro Trak; and the Four Cycles of the Gathering ('dus-pa skor-bzhi), the Peaceful and Wrathful Guru (gu-ru zhi-drag), the Great Compassionate One as the Gathering ofSecrets (thugs-chen gsang-'dus), and the Sun which Illuminates the Expanse of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen klong-gsal nyi-ma), which were discovered at Namkecen in Lhodrak.
When Ratna Lingpa discovered the treasure at glorious Phukring in Kharcu he displayed inconceivable supernormal cognitive powers and miracles, including a wonderful array of magical feats. He met Orgyen Rinpoche [in visions] twenty-five times, visited the Copper-coloured Mountain in a vision, and so forth, as it is related in his Biography of the Thirteen Stores (mdzod-khang bcu-gsum-gyi mam-thar). He often per- formed the Attainment of Elixir [according to} the Attainment of Mind (thugs-sgrub sman-sgrub) and the Attainment ofMedicinal Pills [from the Flesh of One} Born [as a Brahman} Seven Times (skye-bdun ril-sgrub),
794
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
to collect textual traditions from all quarters, including the abbreviated set of the Collected Tantras which was preserved at Ukpalung. Realising that the complete, continuous lineage of their transmission was not to be found anywhere in Kham or in Tibet, except with Megom Samten Zangpo of Tsang, his heart could not bear the approaching end of the continuous line of transmission. Although the venerable Megom was exceedingly aged, the master and disciple both made great efforts over a long period of time and thus he received it. Later, Ratna Lingpa arranged the Collected Tantras altogether at Lhlindrup Palace in Trushiil, and had new copies prepared, the earlier ones in ink, and the later ones in gold. In connection with this he propagated the continuous transmission many times. Therefore, it is certainly only by the compas- sion of this great treasure-finder that today we can still enjoy these secret tantras, which are like wish-fulfilling gems. Thus, he was uniquely most propitious to the teaching of the Ancient Translation School, in general.
After bringing such deeds to completion, Ratna Lingpa, then in his seventy-sixth year [1478], passed away into the Palace of Lotus Light, accompanied by the most wonderful miracles. Many fine lineages of his sons and disciples, including those of the four spiritual sons dear to his heart, have continued until the present day, and the enlightened activity of his profound doctrine has been preserved without decline.
.
of these occaSIOns was
thereevent esI . .
L' utterly perfect, Ratna mgpa
. .
Since the auspICIOUS co
. e .
d ' d treasures of three ll1etImes,
found in a single l1etIme
k
and hence became nown un
h
der tree na
Ratna Lingpa
owerments, guidance, and instruC-
and when he granted or emP . rainbow lights shone, rains of d
tion, there were inexpressIble fragrance of incense. On none
flowers fell, and all was perva e h l'ghtest kind of obstacle.
mCldence was (I'e' ] the estme
d"l meso Zhikpo Lingpa, Dro u . .
t Kailash to Gyelmorong m . d
liberation. ntras of the Nyingmapa, the AncIent Above all, during that era, tal d d in the Kangyur owing to the Translation School, were not mc . e the Denkanna Catalogue of the
following statement dWkhiChhiS floduann_d:r_ma, T 4364):
(bk "gyur ar-c ag Kangyur a -
M
L' a From oun
Lingpa, and Ratna bl living creatures in maturatIon an Kham he established mnumera e .
. antras of the secret Because of their great strictness Inner t
mantras are n
ot set forth here.
d their transmis- Ratna Lingpa made great efforts
.
For this reason bneage
s of both the texts an sions had become exceedmgly rare.
Ratna Lingpa 795
13 Perna Lingpa
J
'
h e no OJ the Transmitted
[583. 4-588. 2] Orgyen Perna Lingpa,1066 who was hailed as the fourth
of the five kingly treasure-finders, was the last of the five pure incarna-
tions of the royal princess Pemasel. 1067 His birth at Mon Bumthang
in 1450 (iron male horse year, eighth cycle) was attended by many
omens. His father was Tondrup Zangpo of the Nyo clan, and his mother
Trongma Peldzom. Since, in his previous life, he had been the all-know- may ing Trime Ozer [Longcenpa], he awoke to the genuine enlightened
family during his childhood. He learned several scripts, the crafts, and so forth, without having been taught.
In particular, on Wednesday 31 July 1476 (tenth day, seventh month, monkey year),1068 in the place called Yige Trukma, Perna Lingpa actu- ally beheld the visage of Orgyen Rinpoche, who blessed him and placed in his hands an inventory of one hundred and eight great treasure troves. Accordingly, in his twenty-seventh year he brought forth the first of all his profound treasures, namely, the Cycles of the Luminous Expanse of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen klong-gsal-gyi skor-mams), from the famous Lake Mebar, where the Tang River meanders in the form of a knot near Naring Trak. Surrounded by a multitude of people he entered the lake without hesitation, holding a burning lamp in his hand. Then, when he re-emerged, the lamp in his hand was unextin- guished, and he carried under his arm a great treasure chest, about the size of a clay pot. Everyone was amazed and became established in the faith of conviction. Consequently, Perna Lingpa's indisputable reputa- tion covered the land like the sun and moon.
In the same way, he discovered the Great Perfection, the Gathering of SamantabhadraJs Intention (rdzogs-chen kun-bzang dgongs-Jdus) at Samye Chimpu. Moreover, from their respective treasure sites he brought forth the Cycle ofthe Small Son which is a Non-Dual Tantra of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen gnyis-med-rgyud bu-chung-gi skor); the Guru, an Ocean of Gems; the Great Compassionate One, the Lamp which Dispels Darkness (thugs-rie chen-po mun-sel sgron-me); the Eight Transmit- ted Precepts, the Mirror ofMind (bkaJ-hrgyad thugs-kyi me-long), the Kfla
which is the Utterly Secret TT. 't 1R Pema Lingpa 797 h C v1a azor(Phur-p
t e 0lcle of the Attainment oif I\T El' k ) [ h' J. vectar- lXlr (bd d ' ,
s or, w Ich three cycles togeth
p recepts, Kfla, and Elixir (bk er constItute] th n' . f :7 Vajrapa7Ji as the Subduer of th -p ur-sman-gsum); [the teachings of]
dregs-Jdul dang gtum-chung)' th: Grrogant and as Slight Rage (phyag-rdor on the Wrathful [Guru] (drag- 0 andLesser[Teachings
on Longevity, the Vajra the Guidance ment of Longevity, Integrating n. hr phreng-ba); the Attain- lam-khyer); the Black Tnwgy ( skWlt t e Path (tshe-sgrub nor-bu
(las phran-gyi skor)' and rna nag-po s the Cycle ofMinor Rites 1 · ' ny others. Llkew' h .
menta objects, and of images b k Ise, t e profUsIOn of sacra- o
of one] born seven times [as 'b °h sand Stilpas, including [the flesh
a raman]whohl'b
representative images of Guru Pad IC 1 erates when tasted,
d
ered], the imagination. masambhava [that he discov-
an
In partIcular, in a ravine this t
of Lho Kyercu which had unearthed the temple . 'I ' not preVIOusly b . 'b
SImI ar to the temple of P I s
een VISI Ie, and which was umpa [at S ] 1069
b
" e tsap e VIsIted by everyone at th
PemaLingpa
amye . That temple e present day. Among the riches Perna
u -rtsl sman-sgrub-kl1i
798 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Lingpa discovered as treasures were the life-supporting turquoise gems of the religious king Trhisong Detsen called "Blazing Light", "Blazing Light of a Thousand Mountains", and "Red House Snowpeak"; the seamless robes of the Princess; 1070 a clairvoyant mirror; and many other especially sublime riches of the royal dynasty.
Although an inventory of one hundred and eight treasure troves had come into Perna Lingpa's hands, he could not discover more than half of them. Later, when the treasure-finder was approaching death, his son asked for permission to find the others, but the master said, "It will be hard for you to find the treasure doctrines. But if you purely guard your commitments and pray to me, you may possibly find some minor ones. " Accordingly, his spiritual son Dawa is known to have
1071
brought forth some treasure troves, toO.
Moreover, the vastly wonderful deeds of Perna Lingpa were incon-
ceivable. He prophesied that in the future he would become the buddha named Vajragarbha in the Buddha-field of the Lotus Array, and said that all those presently associated with him, as well, would be reborn in that realm and become the disciples of that buddha.
Concerning the host of disciples who were his spiritual sons, there is a prophetic declaration among his treasures:
Ten thousand will be associated by [the force of] past deeds. One thousand and two will be associated by aspiration. Those associated through the profound essential point
will be eleven.
Seven will be maJ). Qala-holders.
And three will be spiritual sons, dear to his heart.
In conformity with this prophecy, an inconceivable number of dis- ciples appeared. Among them, the foremost were the six emanational treasure-finders; the six great accomplished masters; the six great sons who had manifestly disclosed the signs of accomplishment; Tshliltrim Peljor, the great preceptor of the Conangpa residence [Phlintsoling], Nangso Gyelwa Tondrup, and Triilku Chokden Gonpo, who were the three spiritual sons whose intention was the same as that of the treasure- finder himself; and his four physical sons, who were emanations of the Lords of the Three Families. Of these, his spiritual son Dawa, who was the emanation of Avalokitesvara, had inconceivable, expressive powers of blessing. He realised the intention of his father and as a result his enlightened activity became extensive. He was praised as a great, holy individual and revered as a guru by Sakya Dakcen, Drigung Rincen Phtintsok, Zhamarpa Koncok Yenlak, Pawo Chogyel Tondrup, and others. He was also supplicated by all sorts of important persons from Central Tibet, Tsang, and Mon in the south, and his enlightened
' . . b '
actIVIty In the service of oth
Perna Lingrl1a 799
1-'
bi
e. None the less,
h
ecame Incon
. ceIva
ers
e practised the way of yoga in secret
The transmission of Perna Lingpa's 'rofi
passed down and propagated by kdoctnnes was gradually Tondrup Pelbar, who were renowned atso. RangdrOl and Umdze
masters, as well as by his own
f h· "
o IS spIntua1 Son [Dawa] wh
h
.
he two Incomparable doctrine- emanation d h .
speec
. s an t e emanatIOns 0 occupIedtheseatatLh 1 .
'
ra. ptothepresentda th l' aungInLho-
dkU
the regions of Mon in the y the Icneage has. been spread throughout
Th .
e entIre stream of its em
.
contInues without decline.
sou , entral TIbet T '
powerments trans . .
d
sang an
, m I s S I O n s , and gUIdance
Dokam. .
14 Karma Lingpa
ment of unimpeded supernormal cognitive power and enlightened activity.
In his fifteenth year, the prophetic declaration and the auspicious coincidence came together. From Mount Gampodar, which resembles a dancing god, he extracted the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, the Natural Liberation ofIntention (zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol); the Great Compas- sionate One, the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities ofPadma (thugs-rje chen-po padma zhi-khro); and other treasures. He gave the complete doctrinal cycle of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of Padma (padma zhi-khro'i chos-skor) to fourteen great disciples, who were the masters of his doc- trine. But he gave the doctrinal cycles of the Natural Liberation of Intention to his son, Nyinda Choje alone; and he sealed the lineage with an injunction that for three generations it should be transmitted to only a single person. Because he did not form the auspicious connec- tion with the consort prophesied for him, Karma Lingpa passed into another realm after not very long.
The Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, the Natural Liberation of Intention was vastly propagated by Namka Choki Gyamtso, the third generation successor. The continuous lineage of its empowerment, transmission and guidance is found throughout Central Tibet, Tsang and Kham, and, in particular, in the southern and northern districts of Dokam. The enlightened activity of the Great Liberation by Hearing during the Intermediate State [bar-do thos-grol chen-po, i. e. the so-called "Tibetan
Book of the Dead"] continues to be extensively propagated in most
1072
[588. 3-589. 4] The treasure-finder Karbma ometime during the sixth k L. . ' Gyeltsen was orn s
translator Co ro U1 '1 3 8 7 ] at Khyerdrup, above Takpo. cycle [24 January 1327 to 20 January
He was the eldest son of the great ahcco
h ld of t e man
ra·
nd dwelt as the very embodl-
and he lived as an up 0 er 'b wasendowedwithinnumerableattn utesa
.
Karma Lingpa
Lingpa
an emanation of the
m lished master Nyinda Sangye, p t tradl'tl'on Karma Lingpa
places up to the present.
Karma Lingpa 801
15 Thangtong Gyelpo
covered many other pro[;ound t Thangtong Gyelpo 803 I reasures as well d ·
concea ed many treasure troves [at those site] ,an ,In exchange, he ? yelpo subdued an evil extr s. . .
! 'Camata In IndIa, and barbarian tribes on emIst kmg, wh? resided at
[589. 4-593. 1] The mighty lord among accomplished masters, Thang- tong Gyelpo,I073 was the combined emanation of Avalokitesvara and the glorious Hayagrlva, who came forth as if Guru Padmasambhava had taken birth from the womb. He incarnated at Olpa Lhartse in upper Tsang in 1385 (wood ox year, sixth cycle). Adhering to more than five hundred tutors, he pursued study and reflection without limit. Although he was a naturally arisen, mighty lord among accomplished masters, by virtue of necessity he received the Northern Treasures in their entirety from Ktinpang Tonyo Gyeltsen and the Shangpa doctrines from the lama Dorje Zhonu;1074 and he revealed the attainment of accomplishment in both of these traditions. Through the disciplined conduct [of an adherent of the secret mantra] he journeyed to all parts of Jambudvlpa and its subcontinents and, in particular, to such places as the Lotus Light Palace on Camaradvlpa, where he heard the doctrine from Guru Rinpoche and numberless accomplished masters; and the gakinls and doctrine protectors did him obeisance.
Thangtong Gyelpo built many temples at geomantic focal points,
1075
He bound all the venomous gods and demons under oaths of allegiance. From Samye Chimpu he extracted five paper scrolls, including the Attainment of Longevity, the Giver of the Glory of Immortality (tshe-sgrub 'chi-med dpal- ster). From Trampagyang he brought forth the Attainment of Mind, Utterly Secret and Unsurpassed (thugs-sgrub yang-gsang bla-med); from Druptso Pemaling, the Jewel Hoard of Esoteric Instruction (man-ngag tin-chen gter-spungs); from Taktsang (the "tiger den") at Paro in Mon, a ten-span-Iong paper scroll which combined the profound, essential points of all the SlUras and tantras; from the Palace of Secret Mantra in Tsari, the Cycle of Profound Doctrines which are Mind Treasures (zab- chos thugs-gter skor); and from Zilcen Phuk in Tsari, the Illuminating Lamp which Contains the Prophecy of the Great Accomplished Master Himself (grub-chen-nyid-kyi lung-bstan gsal-ba'i sgron-me) and the Means for the Attainment of K:jetrapala (zhing-skyong-gi sgrub-thabs). He dis-
- ce uncount bl [.
stupas] representing the buddha-bod a e books, and
the range of the intellect. He built fil' and mmd, surpassing and established one hundred d Iron sUspension bridges and other inconceivable elg. teen ferry-crossings. I076 These beyond that, on these occasions . re renowned. Above and
? e depicted the lives of the past er to virtuous conduct, m dramatic performances. This h satt. vas, kings, and others known as Ace Lhamo, originated :atncal tradItIOn, which today is
which repelled invading armies from Tibet.
mtroduced them to the d · the borders of TIbet· and h . octnne. The arra f h · '
e was Immeasurable. He produ d yo suc mIraculous abilities
perfectly wonderful, enlighten d e
. [. n aspect of. Thangtong Gyelpo's] actIvIty, so meanIngful to behold. IOn
Thangtong Gyelpo
Finally, when the master reach d h·
he passed away bod. t . IS one hundred and twenty-fifth tIme hIS spiritual son Nyima Z 1 y, In the way of a sky-farer. At that
angpo sang a lament, at which he returned
804 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures .
. t Then he passed away at glonous and conferred his extenS1ve testamen .
. h 1078 R1WOC e.
. , . a reat accomplished master from
There was one Tshultnm Z;ngpoh and thirty and whose body,
Ngari who lived to the 0 one ht 1079 He and the accomplished 1g
16 Ngari Pa1Jcen Perna Wangyel
in the end, passed away m a mafssDo k m' seem to have been physical dCh Thti1cen0 0 a
master calle . ar r h d master Thangtong Gyelpo. projections of th1S great accomp 1S persons have been favoured by
Until the . day, Yhost of his disciples was infinite,
the body of his pnstlne cogmtlhon. e. C1'ous circumstance of this great . . I ing to t e ausp1
and, m ar, 0;" . ment of the state of a deathless awareness- accomphshed master s duration of his own life, there were
holder, who control t e . ned the accomplishment of longev1ty.
holders of h1S lineage who atta1 . . of the profound doctrine, h f uous transm1ssiOn
It appears that t. e con m zab-chos thang-stong snyan-brgyud
the Great Aural Lmeage of ( t o. f Longevity the Giver of the . d dthe ttammen ') ,
chen-mo) has an d 11 hools ancient and new. Later on, Glory of Immortalzty a was repeatedly favoured by the venerable Perna se ognition and blessed by him.
the body of Thangtong sdPnstme c l'ng group of doctrines, the . h hestabhsheanamaz .
Relymg on t. . e . f h Accomplished Master (grub-thob Innermost OJ t e d f h f m the expanse of his intentlon a mind treasure wh1ch Vast Creation and Perfection of
and which includes: the proJo;n . an t ifthe Guru which is the root the Cycle of the for the 'and, as branches, (rtsa-ba bla-sgrub-kYl skor . g t which are in harmony with the Five Cycles of Means for ;he class of tantras (rgyud-sde
the path of Maglcal Net, gb-thabs skor-Inga); and the
[593. 1-598. 3] The great pal). 9ita of Ngari, Perna Wangyel Dorje, was a mind emanation of the religious king Trhisong, and the ninth reincarnation of Gyelse Lharje. He was born in 1487 (fire female sheep' year, eighth cycle) in the district ofLowo Matang [present-day Mustang, Nepal]. 1080 His father, Jamyang Rincen Gyeltsen, a great learned and accomplished master, hailed from a divine clan and was a later incarna- tion of lord Marpa, and his mother was Drocam Trhompagyen. He was named Perna Wangyel.
In his eighth year Perna Wangyel became a layman.
1081 From his father he obtained [the vow of] the cultivation of the enlightened attitude and studied fully, and trained himself in, the cycles of the transmitted precepts of the Ancient Translation School, the foremost being the trilogy of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class. He practised many rites of service and attainment to the point of realising the signs [of success]. From master Norten Zangpo he received the Vinaya, sutras, Kadampa cycles (bka'-gdams-pa'i skor), and so forth. Starting in his twentieth year, Perna Wangyel thoroughly mastered a hundred great textual traditions, of which the for. emost were those of the Madhyamaka, logic, and Transcendental Perfection. Thus, he became meaningfully well known as a "spiritual benefactor" .
In his twenty-first year he received the [empowerments which bring about] maturation and [the guidance which brings about] liberation for the Red Yamiiri and so on, from Jamyang Chokyong, Tshtiltrim Pel, and others. Performing the rites of service and attainment, he actually beheld the visage of the wrathful MafijusrI. In particular, in his twenty- second year, he thoroughly resolved his doubts regarding the transmit- ted precepts and treasures of the Ancient Translation School under the tutelage of his holy, venerable father. 1082 When he performed the at- tainment of the Eight Transmitted Precepts, his father was inspired by extraordinary pure visions, and so praised him. Later, [the attributes praised by his father] became manifest.
sgyu-'phrul-gyllam dang mthun p . . . fthe Tantras
T gru . . ·ons and Esoteric Instructwns ransmlSSl ,
tial Summarzsatwn OJ • t the Eight Transmitted Precepts 0+ the Class of Means for Attammen , . p dril-ba) These
'} , dk' dlungman-ngagsnymg- or . (sgrub-sde bka Precious Treasure (rin-chen gter-mdzod).
are preserved 1n
'}
806
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
attainment for most of the extant traditions of the empowerments, tantras, and esoteric instructions of secret mantra belonging to the new and ancient traditions. He also travelled to the Kathmandu Valley, where he attended on many Newari and Tibetan gurus. Due to his connection with the places of pilgrimage and his practice of contempla- tion, pure visions arose without limit.
Starting from his thirty-eighth year, Perna Wangyel brought down
a great shower of doctrine, ancient and new, without bias: He decided
to restore the doctrinal lineages of the ancient and new traditions which
had deteriorated in Central Tibet and Tsang. Having obtained the
permission of his father and all the lords of Lowo, he proceeded to
Central Tibet via Zangzang Lhadrak, together with his younger brother,
1085
Ngari Par;,cen Perna Wangyel
During the early and later part dOfFhis . . d the Path an rult ro f
gyel tWlCe recelve , I d'nation at the seminary 0 twenty-fifth year he recelved ete or receptor of Lowo,1083
Samdrupling from S? nam gPandha, and who officiated who was the emanatlon of Jamyang then on Perna Wan- as both preceptor and master of ceremonles. ciate who remained on
gyel adhered to the discipline of adtotthael applications of the
one seat. 1084 He properly mastere I he became foremost Vinaya of the true doctrine, age Moreover, under among all those who held the u the great of Kuge, and
that great preceptor, e zang, 1 ' and 'many empower- " I h studled grammar, OglC,
At Zhungtrezhing, Perna Wangyel received the Ma. Q. cjalas of Ngok (rngog-dkyil) and the cycle of Red Yarnari from Ngokt6n Sonam Tendzin and Zhalu Locen of Tratang. Then he went to Samye and the pro- pensities of [his previous life as] the religious king Trhisong were mani- festly aroused. He performed the great attainment of the Gathering of the Sugatas of the Eight Transmitted Precepts in the middle shrine, and was favoured by Lhodrak Guru and others. From Trhengso Orgyen Chozang and Kongcen N amka Pelden he received the Gathering of the Guru's Intention. When he practised contemplation at Dra Yangdzong and Chimpu he had visions of many deities. Perna Wangyel was invited to Lhodrak by an eighth generation descendant of Guru Chowang. He restored the deteriorating doctrinal tradition there and performed other acts of great kindness.
This master studied the Gathering ofthe Sugatas ofthe Eight Transmit- ted Precepts alone twenty-five times, of which the last, which he received at Lhodrak Gonkar from the peerless, great, accomplished master Nam- kei Neljor of the Jeu clan, had a genuine and reliable origin. In this way his intention was totally fulfilled.
In particular, concerning his discovery of profound treasures: In his forty-sixth year, from a secret chest lodged in the back of the image of Vairocana with four bodies [facing in four directions, rnam-snang mi- bzhi] in the upper hall at Samye, Perna Wangyel brought forth the Final Gathering ofthe Transmitted Precepts which is the Doctrinal Cycle ofthe Entire Gathering ofAwareness-holders, the Meansfor the Attainment ofthe Seven-Chapter Supplication (bka'-'dus phyi-ma rig-'dzinyongs-'dus- kyi chos-skor gsol-'debs le'u-bdun-ma'i sgrub-thabs). He established most of it and it remains widely propagated even today.
He invited Drigung Rincen Phtintsok - Rikdzin Lekdenje having brought them together - and the three of them, master and disciples, reconsecrated Samye. This greatly aided the temporal and spiritual well-being of Tibet and Kham. After Perna Wangyel had thus limitlessly
(
Jamyang L0 drope e
I '
ew trans atlOn sc
hools of the secret mantra. ,
oured with the crowmng
f h ments and tantras 0 t e n
b
h
Training himself in these, he came to
e
on
title of Mahapa1JeJita. . d of the Northern Treasures under
Perna Wangyel also studle manyf Tran o. In short, as illustrated
Sakya Zangpo, the treasure-fidnder to the rites of service and above, he made efforts to stu yan
Ngari Pancen Perna Wangyel 807
On reaching the Emanational Temple of Lhasa [i. e.
Lekden Dorje.
the Jokhang], he obtained a prophetic declaration.
808 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
, g d livin creatures in Central Tibet, he de- benefitted the teach,m an f g b Montang for the great, glorious
parted, in his fifty-slxth rom n
Copper-colIloured individual's inconceivably learned,
Genera y spea {mg, ' I 'dated l'n his own verse autoblO- , d r hed career lS e UCl ,
mfied an accomp lS d the terse but profusely meamngful graph! ', compos; Vows (sdom-gsum rnam-par nges-pa'i Treatlse whIch Ascertams the Thre " ble Up to the
bstan-bcos),The,kindnesshof hold the present day thls work as een,
teachings of the Ancient Translauon School.
el became well known as a great promulgator
So it was that I 'fi d the teachings of the transmitted
who directly and mdlrect y, c an ,le I ' S hool In the life- , f the Anclent Trans atlOn c .
17 Rikdzin Jatsiin Nyingpo
d
Treasures, Trashi Topgyel, or Chogye :nation 1086 The
precepts and treasures 0,
, ' d' I! ' llowmg he returne
I Wan oide whose career
ume lmme late y 10 . .
as an has transmlsslOn 0
without decline.
s the master of the Northern a
[598. 3-604. 3] The great holder of indestructible reality, a monk re- nowned in one body under three names - those of the treasure-finder Letro Lingpa, the awareness-holder Jatson Nyingpo, and the mantra adept Hurpnak Mebar - appeared as an emanation from above of the compassion of Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo. Nyangben had completely realised the fruit and was supreme among the one hundred and eight disciples of the great master Orgyen who had attained the incorruptible body of light. 1087
Jatson Nyingpo was born in 1585 (wood female bird year, tenth cycle) as the sun entered into the constellation 1088 at Waru Namtstil in Kongpo. His father was Chokyong Gonpo, and his mother Namlung Putri. From childhood he was endowed with the propensities of the doctrine. From his third year he learnt to read just by being shown the script. Many times, too, he left impressions of his hands and feet in stone. From his twelfth year until his twentieth he studied general subjects, medical science in particular, and so reached the summit ofscholarship.
During that period Jatson Nyingpo repeatedly met Orgyen Rinpoche in reality, visions, and dreams. Inspired with renunciation and intense disgust at the world he fixed his mind one-pointedly on the true doctrine. He looked upon all sarpsaric states and associations as fire pits, and so, for the sake of the doctrine, escaped into the presence of the doctrine master Mipham Trashi Lodro. That master had a dream in which some women brought him an old stupa that had been built by the master Padmasambhava, saying, "It has to be reconsecrated. " When he per- formed the consecration, the stupa blazed into light. So, he realised that [his new disciple] was fortunate. Jatson Nyingpo was ordained as a novice and given the name Ngawang Chogyel Wangpo. He received numberless instructions, including the empowerments, guidance, and transmission of the way of secret mantra, and he passed the time ex- clusively in one-pointed practice. Moreover, he received all the sutra and mantra transmissions of the ancient and new traditions from Zhap- drung Norbu Gyenpa, the all-knowing Drukpa, Nyame Lhatsewa, and
810 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures .
. . . f here was nothing he had not studIed. In others, untIl It aS III t d' t' n from Lhatsewa, and thus attained particular, he receIved fu or ma 10
to the status of a monk.
Lhari, Kongtrang Gendtine, Zha Temple in Uru, and from elsewhere Jatson Nyingpo brought forth many profound treasures, including Great Compassionate One (thugs-rje chen-po), Hayagrfva and Varahf, the Wish-fulfilling Gem (rta-phagyid-bzhin nor-bu) , the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities) the Nucleus of Definitive Meaning (zhi-khro nges-don snying po), the Attainment ofLongevity, the Thunderbolt Vajra (tshe-sgrub gnam-Icags rdo-rje), Dorje TroW (rdo-rje gro-Iod), the Cycle of the Glorious Neuter Lord (dpal-mgon ma-ning skor), and the Guidebook to the Pilgrimage Place of Pemako (padma-bkod-kyi gnas-kyi lam-yig). Some of his treasures, such as the Gathering of All Precious Jewels were secret treasures, but most were discovered in public.
Jatson Nyingpo developed boundless supernormal cognitive and miraculous powers. He discerned concealed facts without obscuration, and he could even traverse waters and ravines without impediment. When he discovered the treasure on Mount Nyemo Lhari, in particular, Tratiwa of Kongpo and other irrational persons feared that the essences of the earth would be diminished. 1090 They tried to guard the treasure site with an army, but the treasure-finder became exhilarated and rode on his horse at a gallop right over the great rock abyss. Its faces were mirror-like, such as might allow none but a bird to escape, but Jatson's horse left a hoofprint on the stone surface. The master extracted the treasure in an instant and departed displaying his discipline and great miraculous abilities. The soldiers were terrified. They all became con- fused, but then he established them on the level of the faithful. By his inconceivable occult power and force he could subdue Tamsi spirits, repel armies, and so forth.
So it was that Jatson Nyingpo's manifold enlightened activities in- creased the [temporal and spiritual] well-being of Tibet, both in general and in particular. He favoured many fortunate disciples and bestowed on them the nectar of maturation and liberation according to the many doctrinal traditions belonging to the transmitted precepts and treasures of the ancient and new traditions. The master himself was dignified and maintained the conduct of total renunciation without transgressing his status as a monk. He also guided those he trained in such manners, so that they remained absorbed in the genuine path and established upon it.
At the isolated and lofty place called Pangri Jokpo, a location which he had opened up himself, he founded a retreat centre. It has been maintained and preserved, without decline, until the present day by the lineage of his successors, emanations, and others.
The first master of Jatson's doctrine was Gampo Zhapdrung Norbu Gyenpa, who opened the way for the enlightened activity [of those treasures]. From then on, Jatson Nyingpo extensively gathered [dis- ciples] from Central Tibet, Tsang, and Kham, among whom were the black-hat and red-hat Karmapa [i. e. the Karmapa and the Zhamarpa],
Rikdzin Jatson Nyingpo
ent seventeen years in a clay-sealed f ' t At that time he obtamed and thus hoisted up the 0 but he disregarded many prophetic declaratIons concernmg . '. - ' h ndred
When he had recited the ritual serVIce of VaJrapar:n ? ne u d tern. . d a h tic declaratIOn, an was million times, he once more d pr? p emaster Mipham Trashi
h
. . .
Jatson Nymgpo sp
encouraged by the most precIaOus 1620 (tenth day, first
13
oro, w ) h £ d a treasure inventory, wntten
L d . . hereupon on Thursd
month, iron male monkey year1 . e ? ;n chick-sized garuda image of in the hand of Yeshe Tshogye , In;I : at easures he was to discover.
cast iro. n. It the first Ht e t:an in Traklung he extracted Accordmgly, from the Iron gate 0 om . g Jewels (yang-zab dkon- the Utterly Profound Gathering of All nd he completely fulfil-
mchog spyi-'dus) and others as secret a 1 1089 f h' and theIr secret sea s.
led the attainment 0 IS treasures.
K the entrance to the pil-
Then, successively, from grimage place of Jonpalung w lC IS ca
ye.
Trhengdze, Nyemo
Rikdzin]atsonNyingpo 811
L ' ofthe Treasures 812 History: Close meages
. . ' k 1092 Drukpa Pak- 1091DrigungChoklTra pa,
Gyeltsap Trakpa k R'kdzin Ngagiwangpo, Tsele Natsok sam Wangpo,l°93 Done ra , 1 Rikdzin Trhinle Lhtindrup, Rangdro1 1094LhatstinNamkaJlkme, B k Trtilku Rikdzin Chbkl
18 Rikdzin Dudul Dorje
,
gyurwa Gonpo Sonam
. . G Gyamtso, Kunga yam
Chokden, Puwo a a h
I' hed master of Derge, t e great tso the accomp IS , d n
, d T bla Padmamatl. He bestowe 0
treasure-finder Done, a;doc:rine in its entirety, and so,formed
them the nectar of hIS profoun h l'ghtened activity [of hIS treas- , nces for teen 1
the auspicious Clrcumsta
ures] to spread thr? ughout all limits of such deeds he
When Jatson had reac ;nd ear [1656], signs and mIracles displayed, during hIS h's cognitive powers, at Pangri Jokpo and, as befitte : d In his doctrinal lineage there revealed his passage to a great purehan 'complished the body of light,
were many, earlier later 0;,;;0
during the time of Miwang
hasthetwowhodIdsoat a p
suc 1095 1 Sonam Topgyel. , ' 1 treasure-finder possessed the
In brief, al:hough thIS _ superior, m-
of the four kmds of k f in the prophetIc declara- , f' whIcharespo en0 f
ferior, and most m enor - h' lightened aspiration and the orce
[604. 3-610. 6] The great treasure-finder and awareness-holder Dtidtil Dorje, a later incarnation of Drokben Khyeucung Lotsawa, was quite clearly prophesied in about thirteen ancient treasures. Accordingly, he was born in 1615 (wood female hare year, tenth cycle) on the shady side of the well-known [valley of] Ngtilpunang, in the Derge district of Dokam. His father was a learned physician of the Ling clan named Ludrup, and his mother was called Poluma, He studied writing, read- ing, and medical diagnosis under his father, and from his sixth year on experienced many pure visions. He spent his childhood at the sem- inary of glorious Lhtindrup Teng, where he offered a lock from his crown to Kunga Gyamtso, the accomplished master of Derge who was an emanation of Rikdzin Godemcen; and he received the name Kunga Sonam Chopak. He left his footprint on a boulder which even today rests behind the eastern door of the great assembly hall.
Then, while learning, training himself in, studying, and reflecting upon all sorts of texts of the glorious Sakyapa, Dudul Dorje searched for the nucleus, the meaning of pristine cognition, like a thirsty man craving water. As a result, he proceeded to the hermitage of Muksang, where he studied the Great Perfection and many other profound doc- trines under Drenpa Koncok Gyeltsen. By cultivating them experien- tially, the spacious expanse ofrealisation poured open. Then he travelled to the Central Tibetan districts. At Nyangpo he met the great ac- complished master Trashi Tsheten, and received many maturational and liberating instructions. At Trakar Lhacu he abandoned food and, relying on alchemy alone, perfected himself in the profound path of yoga associated with the energy channels, currents, and seminal points. By virtue of the auspicious connection made when he first entered the doctrine, he went to the monasteries of Sakya and Ngor in Tsang, where he received the Oral Transmission ofthe Path and Fruit (gsung-ngag lam-'bras) , and so forth. Then, during the return journey, he supplicated the great awareness-holder latson Nyingpo at Pangri, and received, in their entirety, many empowerments, esoteric instructions, and much
he reached the limits of the ' f
of his training were f
experiential cultivation doctrines was propagated
tions none the less, becau,se IS ebn,
, llysulIme,
d treasures. On the basIs 0
this the enlightened aCtIVIty 0 I d' and Nepal in the west to , h reafromnIa ,h
and spread throughout tea
in the east; an
the shores of the ocean 1096 decline, down to the present day.
d so it has remained, WIt out
L' ofthe Treasures
814 History: Close meages f guidance, Jatson's own pro oun
claring him to be fortunate he persevered it, he proceeded to Puwo, v: aUtterly Secret and Unsurpassed Kfla in the attainment of Ratna sd). At that time <;Hikinls transported
(rat-gling phur-pa a er-coloured Mountain, where, as
him in a dream to the pp _ . ght days. He received the . . h mamed for twenty el R'
he expenenced It, e re d l'berating [guidance] from Guru . m-
Pemakyi, who was of the enlightened family, to be his seal of action (kannamudra), and then, from Yutso Rincen Trak he brought forth an inventory, and from the Decen Sangwa Cave at the Dongcu in Puwo, the cycles of the Gathering of the Entire Intention of the True Doctrine (dam-chos dgongs-pa yongs-'dus). These were foremost among his pro- found treasures. He himself said that all those he discovered later were its supplements.
Then, gradually, Diidiil Dorje found the True Doctrine, the Innennost Spirituality of the Body of Emanation, together with [the rites of] the protector of this transmitted precept, (dam-chos sprul-sku'i snying-thig bka'-srung zhing-skyong dang-bcas-pa), at Tshawa Drodrak; the Profoundly Significant, Secret Innennost Spirituality (zab-don gsang-ba snying-thig) and the Cycle ofGlorious CakrasaJ? 1vara and the Four-anned Protector of Transmitted Precepts (dpal bde-mchog bka'-srung phyag-bzhi- pa'i skor) at Puri Takdzong; the Innennost Spirituality, the Trio of Amitayus, Yangdak Heruka, and Vajrakfla, with the Cycle of Its Protec- tress, Ekajatf, the Self-Arisen Queen (snying-thig tshe-yang-phur-gsum srung-ma e-ka-dza-ti rang-byung rgyal-mo'i skor) at P u r i Shelgi Yangdrom; the Guidebook to the Secret Land ofPemakii (sbas-yul padma bkod-pa'i gnas-yig) at the rock on the north bank of the Dongcu in Puwo; and the cycles of the Trio of Meditational Deities: Red Yamari, Black Yamari, and Bhairava (yi-dam dmar-nag-Jigs-gsum-gyi skor) at Trhomzil Trhomkaryak in the Derge district of Dokam. But, except for the Cycles ofthe Attainment ofPeaceful Mafijusrf (Jam-dpal-zhi-sgrub- kyi skor-rnams), he does not appear to have established the others. Although Dtidtil Dorje also discovered the Cycle of the Attainment of the Glorious Four-faced Protector and ofMahadeva (dpal-mgongdong-bzhi- pa dang lha-chen sgrub-skor) at Capu Cakpurcen; the Guru as the Gather- ing of Awareness-holders (bla-ma rig-'dzin 'dus-pa), the Attainment of Longevity, the Hot Sunbeam (tshe-sgrub tsha-ba dmar-thag) and the Cycle ofZhanglO'n and Pomra, Protectors ofthe Transmitted Precepts (bka'-srung zhang-blon dang spom-ra'i skor) in the central shrine of Samye; and the Crown Ornament of the Aural Lineage, the Cycles of the Wish-fulfilling Gem (snyan-brgyudgtsug-rgyanyid-bzhin nor-bu'i skor-rnams) in the upper shrine in the west wing of the Rasa Trhiilnang Temple [the Jokhang in Lhasa], it is certain that he did not establish them.
From Dtiri Namcak Barwa in Puwo the yogin Tungtrengcen brought forth the cycles of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Magical Net and of the Eight Transmitted Precepts along with the protectors of these transmitted precepts (sgyu-'phrul zhi-khro dang bka'-brgyad skor bka'- srung bcas), and from the Stone Stl1pa of Ratsak he brought forth the Cycle of the Glorious Tiger-riding Lord (dpal-mgon stag-zhon skor); and these he offered to Dtidm Dorje. Moreover, it is clearly stated in his History ofthe Treasures (gter-'byung) that he discovered many profound treasures, sooner or later, at Shinje Dongka in Yutso, Rikdzin Sangpuk,
maturational [empowerment] an. 1 poche in their entirety, and was glVen
prophetic declarations concernmg
. '
d treasures first and foremost among
them.
Above all, during thIS peno. d to treasure Complying with
d Diidtil Dorje received a prophecy de-
Rikdzin Dudul Dorje
. Mighty Kmg
. . lucidated in the master sown
treasure. ThIS and more IS e . l - ) Diidiil Dorje then went to
of Pure Vision (dag-snang on that dream,
meet the glorious Orgyen enthroned as a master of m- utterly delighted and had Dudu J Thereafter he lived as a great
. 1" th perfect honours. destructIble rea lty WI . tructible reality.
'
mantra adept and holder of m d e s . formity with the inventory
His first profound lfiI twenty-ninth year he took which had come into hIS possesslOn. n
--
,
Rikdzin DiidUl Dmje 815
816 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Serakcok, Nabun Dzong, Tasho Kyilkor Thang, and elsewhere. He
opened up many great pilgrimage places in Central Tibet and the frontier regions, the foremost of them being the secret land ofPemako. Together with the aforementioned treasure troves he extracted an inconceivable number of images, symbolic objects, and sacramental substances. In short, just as it was said that he would be the successor to a hundred sites and their treasures, as well as to a thousand substances which liberate when tasted, he disclosed the majority of them.
In his forty-second year Dudm Dorje was invited by the lama of Derge, Campa Phuntsok, and his nephew. In the former monastic residence of that master he built the famous Dudm Shrine and fulfilled, thereby, a prophecy of benefit to both the teaching and the state. He visited all the seats of the Nyingmapa, the Ancient Translation School, as far as Katok Dorjeden; and he favoured many fortunate disciples. The cottage where he stayed for a long time practising contemplation at Nopki Phutak Phudrak-ring, near Dzing Namgyel, exists even today.
Dudm Dorje travelled to the residence of the royal house of Ling (gling-tshang) and established an excellent patron-priest relationship with the king of Ling. 1097 When he manufactured [sacramental sub- stances by means of] the vase attainment of the Great Compassionate One as the King of Space (thugs-rje chen-po nam-mkha'i rgyal-po'i bum- sgrub),1098 there were wonderful signs which surpassed the imagination. [Sacraments] derived from those manufactured then continue to exist at the present day.
The master was gradually invited to Parkam, Puto,1099 Parma
Lhateng, Riwoche, and so on, where he infinitely benefitted the teaching
and living creatures. In particular, at Pornetrak he met with Namco
llOO
Mingyur Dorje.
an auspicious connection. The encounter had been arranged by the great accomplished master Karma Chakme,1101 who scattered flowers of praise on DUdm Dorje.
DUdUI Dorje established his seats at Decen Thang in PutO and at Yuri Gango, and he dwelt in these places for a long time. He clarified, in a general way, the gateway to the pilgrimage centre of the secret land of Pemako. Afterwards, when he had completed his personal deeds, he departed for the great Palace of Lotus Light during his fifty-eighth year, in 1672 (water male mouse). At that time there were sounds, lights, rains of flowers, and numberless other wonderful mira- cles. Particularly, most of his corpse dissolved into light. What re- mained, which was about one cubit in length, was offered to the flames, from which a mass consisting of five great remains and many relics was recovered.
This master's foremost personal disciples, who became the masters of his teaching, were Lhatsun Namka Jikme, Rikdzin Longsel
N .
Ylngpo, K"
1102
RikdzinD"d"lD
They exchanged doctrines and otherwise formed
Baka Trulku Ch"k' G
0 I yarntsoD k
U U orje 817 Perna Rikdzin 1103
unzang Khyapdel Lhundru th ,zo
many other of master
of Dud':1 ? IS dIsCIples were numberless. The l'YhIll the vicinity u one s doctnnal linea en Ig tened activit
particular, by Gyelse Norb yge was preserved without decline . Y
, u appeared III the lineage of hI'S d
ongdra and d
escen ants.
h ' III ot ers who successively
19 Lhatsun Namka Jikme
of the energy in the throat centre, so that everything he saId was always refined m word and meaning.
