No More Learning

[which constitute] extremely profound, close lineages.
THE NA TURE OF THE TREASURES
744 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
The Nature, Purpose and Kinds o/Treasure 745
Moreover, in various well-known sutras and tantras the essence, formal definition, enumerations, and purposes of treasures are re- peatedly indicated; and these have been renowned in both India and Tibet. The treasures, therefore, have not been invented by specific individuals, such as the Tibetans.
THE PURPOSE OF THE TREASURES
As to the reason for concealing these treasures, it says in the Satra of the River's Play (chu-klung rol-pa'i mdo, DZ Vo1. 9):
Conceal the doctrinal texts of my teaching,
As treasures of mind, [emerging] from mind, Or make them cores of the earth:
Though extremists with wild thoughts
Will certainly confound the definitive meaning, The flow of the river will not be cut off!
And in the words of a treasure discovered by the doctrinal king, Ratna
968
Because, generally, I harbour great compassion
For the Tibetans, who love what is new,
And for the creatures of this defiled age,
I have filled the frontiers and the centre with treasures, Focal points which are the culmination of utter profundity; And I have prayed that these be found by my worthy sons. In the future, sophists, verbally skilled,
Anchorites and others who are biased, inflated with prejudice,
Will promote themselves and dispute my treasures. But most religious persons in the defiled age will be
guided by treasures.
They are profound and complete, unobscured,
comprehensive:
Each instruction will certainly liberate someone. Therefore, 0 worthy and well-trained ones, whose
propensities have awakened,
If you remember death, then experience these
treasure doctrines!
You will obtain liberation's path in one lifetime,
o my followers!
In the defiled age all worthy devotees of treasure Will be those who now have beheld the guru's visage
and formed an aspiration.
Since you all have such propensities, cultivate joy! These words of mine are more rare than gold, or jewels!
Such statements may be found in other treasure texts, too, without limit. Accordingly, concerning the transmitted precepts [of the distant lineage]: During this defiled age their transmitted empowerments and instructions have become adulterated like milk in the market-place. Because [their lineages] have been interrupted by many lineage-holders, the fresh descent of their blessing has been weakened by many violations of the commitments, as well as by pollution [of the teachings] due to interpolations. But, regarding the contents of the treasures: The dis- coverers of treasure were emanations who had been taken into the following of the great Padmasambhava of OQQiyana himself, and had thus obtained complete transmission of the empowerments and instruc- tions, which bring about maturation and liberation. By bringing forth in this way profound doctrines which embody the unfading, moist breath of the Qakinls, they form close lineages, unequalled in the splend- our of their blessings.
THE LINEAGES OF THE TREASURES
It is well known that [the teachings discovered as] treasure have six
lineages, because they possess three special lineages over and above the
intentional, symbolic and aural lineages which have already been de-
969
scribed.
tion, the lineage of prophetically declared spiritual succession, and the lineage of the Qakinls' seal of entrustment].
In the lineage empowered by enlightened aspiration the concealer has sealed [the treasure doctrines] with the following statement of aspiration embodying a declaration of truth: "May the individual who has power over such and such a treasure trove come to reveal it! "
In the lineage ofprophetically declared spiritual succession the person destined to reveal the treasure has been entrusted with the central intention, namely, the genuine pristine cognition that is the object of illustration, and has also received encouragement through a prophetic declaration of future events.
In the lineage of the qiikinfs' seal of entrustment illustrations [of that intention] are verbally arranged in symbolic writing and then invisibly sealed in indestructible rocks, wealth-filled lakes, and immutable chests, their identifying inventories having first been entrusted to their respec-
970
tive treasure lords.
[the concealer's] aspiration matures, the propensities [of the discoverer] awaken, and the lord of the treasure offers encouragement. The appro- priate chest, containing all kinds of profound treasure, with or without an inventory, then comes into the hands of the treasure-finder.
Lingpa:
These comprise: [the lineage empowered by enlightened aspira-
When the predicted time arrives, the power of
746 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
THE CONCEALMENT OF THE EARTH TREASURES
In particular, most of the profound doctrines contained in the treasures were encoded in the symbolic script of the ejakinIs. They cannot be deciphered by any other than the person who has the right fortune; and because that person must encounter the actual inscribed seal in- dicative of the transmitted precepts of the great Orgyen [Padmasam- bhava], the lineage is therefore uninterrupted by ordinary people. Its source is venerable, its symbolic conventions uncontrived, its words unconfounded, and its meaning unerring. Since [such treasures] were translated from the secret symbols of the ejakinls, the texts are profound and their blessing great. The unworthy, no matter how keen their intelligence, are like blind men examining an elephant and cannot appraise even a portion of them. The revealers of treasure are genuinely beyond the perceptual range of ordinary beings.
In this country of Tibet the one who instructed numberless persons in need of training by enlightened activities associated with the nucleus of the teaching, the vehicle of indestructible reality in general, and the profound treasures in particular, was the Second Buddha, Padmasam-
famili ] . .
. es In the symbolIc script of the dakinls
vanous treasure chests, sealed them to· b .
bhava. 971 In the Sutra of Final NirvalJa the Buddha
After my nirval)a,
When about twelve years have passed,
An individual greater than myself will appear On the lake isle of Dhanakosa.
prophesied:
Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo Nanam Doqe DUjom, and treasures. They consecrated thes concealed many profound for disciples to be trained th ; so t at ater, when the time was ripe
benefit living beings. In ,:ould be and so
the king and his subJ·ects h elr prophecIes and prayers ave appeared as a . . ' of fortunate individuals and . n magIcal play
life-style, who have acted on of social class and beings. e a 0 the teachIng and of living
PURE VISIONS AND TREASURES OF INTENTION
All the above refers primarily to the
As for the origins of the profound of the earth however, there is a particular as . p . VISIOns and treasures ofIntention,
to the Conduct 0/ a Bodhisattva of the [Introduction ) . ,v. 37] whIch says:
Mayall corporeal beings continually hear The sounds of the doctrine
From birds and from trees
From all the light rays and'even from the sky.
It is said that owing to the power ofsuch . .
bodhisattvas have no reason to b d · aspIratIOns, and also because
This great master was not merely an individual who traversed the sequence of the path, or a sublime [bodhisattva] abiding on [any of the ten] levels. Indeed, he was the emanational body of Buddha Amitabha, the peerless Sakya King, and others, made manifest in order to train, by various means, those beings, human and non-human, who are difficult to train. It is thus impossible, even for great sublime beings, to describe just an aspect of his career. None the less, a brief outline has already been given above. It was his particularly great enlightened activity to conceal uncountable treasure troves containing doctrines, wealth, medicines, astrological calculations, images, sacramental sub- stances and so forth in the lands of India, Nepal, and Tibet, with the intention ofproviding a harvest for future disciples and for the teaching.
Above all, skilfully teaching each according to his needs here in Tibet, Guru Rinpoche taught approaches to the doctrine in general, and, in particular, an infinite mass of tantras, transmissions, esoteric instructions and rites associated with the three classes of yoga [Mahayoga, Anuyoga, and Atiyoga]. All of those transmitted precepts were compiled by the mistress of secrets, the queen of the expanse, Yeshe Tshogyel, who retained them in her infallible memory. She arranged them on five kinds of yellow scroll [symbolising the five
ally hear the sound of the d t estItute. ofthe doctrine, they continu- . oc nne even In the sou d f h
. '
Namkel Nyingpo, Nyak Jfi- k -
The Nature) Purpose and Kinds O f ' T ' ,
'J J. 747
masambhava and his consort alon . e IndestructIble. Guru Pad-
h· b· , eorInthecompan fhk·
IS su Jects, concealed them in dift; . yo t e Ing and
t? their respective treasure lOcatIOns and them
uru s eparture for b f
lIved for more than a hund d . eshe Tshogyel, In particular - re years after the g 'd '
Camaradvlpa and concealed a · .
. n InconceIVable nu In Upper, middle and lower Tibet 972 I h.
m er 0 treasure troves to the treasures. . ntIS way she fulfilled her service
Moreover, the great pandita v· 1 .
religious kings the great t·r·a I tlmaVaI? Itra, the generations of the
ns a or alrocana
N S
,u P . angye Yeshe,
and wIld animals. Buddhas and b 'dh. . n s o t e elements in visions and teach the do t . 0 . Isattvas Indeed reveal themselves which Subsumes All nne, as It says in the Sutra o/Contemplation
the great bodhisattvas who are desirous of
. . and reverence, will behold th . per ect asplfatIOn
Lord Buddha and h h· d e of the Transcendent . ear IS Octnneeventh h h . In another region of t h · oug t ey resIde
octnne and who are endowed with t;
e unIVerse.
. .
and, them in
748 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Particularly, in the perception of great sublime beings there is only a pure vision [of reality]; impure vision does not occur. Through the perpetual round of the three times they continuously engage in many wonderful doctrinal discussions with their myriad favoured deities of the three roots; and thence there emerge limitless, profound instruc- tions. These are the pure visionary doctrines, which, in accord with the devoted attitudes of specific individuals, have been suitable for propagation amongst the fortunate. Their appearance within the percep- tual range of all may be known from the lives of many learned and accomplished masters of India and from those of the spiritual bene- factors, treasure-finders, and accomplished masters of the ancient and new traditions of Tibet, impartially.
In the same way there are those [teachings] known as the treasures of intention, on which a sutra says:
o MafijusrI! know that just as the four elements originate from the treasure of space, so do all doctrines originate from the treasure of the Conqueror's mind. Thereby one should relish the significance of this treasure.
Accordingly, it is said that the treasure troves of the doctrine pour forth from the spatial expanse of the intention of all sublime indi- viduals.
The following passage also occurs in the Sutra which Genuinely Com- prises the Entire Doctrine:
To the bodhisattva whose aspiration is pure all appropriate instructions and teachings come forth just as he wishes.
And again, there is a sutra which says:
If you have the confidence of certainty with respect to ultimate meaning,
One hundred thousand doctrinal treasures will pour forth from your mind.
Just so, up to the present day, in all the lands of India, Nepal and Tibet, an infinite number of profound instructions have emerged from
973
the profound intentions of great learned and accomplished masters. In brief, these masters have opened at will the doors of doctrines, wealth, sacramental substances,974 et cetera; and by wonderful en- lightened activity, the four ways of liberation,975 they will maintain the true doctrine, down to the end of this evil age. Even in places where the teachings of the Vinaya and the sutras do not exist, the teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality, which is that of the secret mantra, spreads little by little, and expands, without decline. Such is the extens- ive and continuous enlightened activity [of the treasures] which liberates
11 b "
a emgs who are hard to trai G asserted: n.
m sO/Treasure 749
uru [PadmasambhavaJ himself has
The Nature, Purpose and K" d
In the defiled age the teaching's r . Will b ImIts
e preserved by treasures.
Accordingly, until the teachin of t h · "
the activity of the profound t
g e. FIfth GUIde [Maitreya] arises reasures wIll never decline. '
2 Biographies of the Treasure-finders
. d the treasures in general, it will [523. 2-523. 61 Having thus explalne . fi lly and at length on the lives
not be possible here to who have revealed the
of the hosts of accomphshed haware those treasure-finders who have I 1dd mongtemare . . .
[523. 6-525. 5] The earliest of all treasure-finders was Sangye Lama. He was the first of the thirteen incarnations of Gyelse Lharje, during which he was always a treasure-finder. He was born at Tshowar in LatO, approximately during the early part of the life of the great translator Rincen Zangpo,978 and lived as a shaven-headed monk who was an adherent of the mantra tradition. From a cross-beam in the temple of Lowo Gekar in Ngari he brought forth the Trio of the Guru) Great Perfection) and Great Compassionate One (bla-rdzogs-thugs-gsum); from the nearby rock of Tamdringtil the Combined Means for Attainment of the Three Roots called "Perpetual Vision of Accomplishment" (rtsa-gsum dril-sgrub dngos-grub brtan-gzigs); and from Thangwar, Khoklang Rock and elsewhere the Hayagnva who Overpowers Arrogant Spirits (rta-mgrin dregs-pa zil-gnon), many rituals of the siitra tradition which had been translated from Chinese, notes on their ritual variants (kha-bsgyur), et cetera. He travelled throughout Central Tibet and Tsang, benefitted living creatures to the utmost, and lived until about the age of eighty. It is said that, later, Choje Lingpa979 also saw a kIla preserved at Tsari Tshokar, which had come from Sangye Lama's treasures. The family of that treasure-finder continued until a later time in the region of LatO; and it seems that the treasure-finder called Sangye Bar, too, was born into this same family.
Because oftheir extreme antiquity, the empowerments, transmissions and texts ofSangye Lama's treasures did not continue later on, excepting the continuous transmission of a few minor siitras. However, the vision of pristine cognition of the great Orgyen, the knower of the three times, and his spiritual sons, as well as their compassion, have no need for writing. With special consideration for the subjects of Tibet during the extremes of this defiled age, they inspired Perna Osel Do-nga Lingpa [Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo], a unique charioteer of the ocean of pro- found treasures who had arisen as the unimpeded, magical emanation of the compassion of Vimalamitra and of the ancestral kings Trhisong Detsen and Relpacen, to be the master of seven successions of transmit-
treasures. nc u e a . with their eras and charactenstIcS, III been roughly prophesIed, along. . . +padma (padma bka'i thang-
. . f] the InJunctwns 0)
. 1 eared without beIllg clear y
[the vanous recenSIOns 0
976 11 s those who
h
ave app
yig-mams), as we a h less universally renowned as va I .
referred to therein, but are e the earlier and later versions [All their lives1 can be Iearne d -finders (gter-stan brgya-rtsa'l the Biographies of the Hundre h already described the lives
rnam-thar snga-phyi)977 and ere. t rs who were successors to the
comphs e mas e .
of a few supreme, ac f 1 of the foregoing hneages.
. . the course 0 severa treasure doctnnes In . 1
. 1 the essentIa accO
unts of a few of the most
1.
Here, I shall gIve on Y mulgators 0
·tted precepts and the treasures. general,withrespecttobotht etransmi
important proven pro h
f h Ancient Translation Schoo III t e
1·d
3 Sangye Lama
752 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
ofound treasures of the hundred treasure-
ted precepts. Thus, all the pr . h· hands and indestructible . d·d· ctlycamemto IS ,
finders an m d to him the true significance of these prophecIes repeatedly h t the yellow scroll of the Twenty- opportune occasions. S? It hWaz t Means for the Attainment of the onefold Dialogue concermng. t e nyer-gcig-pa), which was the
Three Roots (rtsa-gsum drzl-sgru f thO great emanational treasure- essence of the profound hands. 980 The root
finder Sangye Lama, fell beYestablished, but Khyentse
text of the treasure could n h · d Cor the torma empowerment ·esfort entesan I'
I4 Trapa Ngonshe
arranged the . . f the text and propagated them. They in Treasures (rin-chen gter-gyi mdzod
are10un m e
chen-po).
[525. 5-527. 3] Trapa Ngonshe, a simultaneous emanation ofShtipu Pelgi Senge and the great translator Vairocana, was born in 1012 (water male mouse year preceding the first cycle), into a family descended from Chim Dorje Peucung, at Kyi in Tra, Yoru. As a youth he awoke to the family of the true doctrine and entered the seminary of Samye. He was ordained as a novice by Yamshti Gyelwa-o, a preceptor who had been Lume's disciple. He became known as Trapa because he was a native of Tra, and Ngonshe because his learning in the Abhidharma was extensive. 982 His ordination name was Wangcuk Bar. From above the door of the central shrine [at Samye] he extracted the Secret Means for the Attainment of Red Jambhala (dzam-dmar gsang-sgrub) and the Tantra ofthe Yak$a Vajra Mdrajit (gnod-sbyin rdo-rye bdud-)dul-gyi rgyud) along with its means for attainment. 983 In particular, as had been prophesied by ZhanglOn,984 he brought forth the master copies985 of the Four Glorious Tantras ofMedical Science (gso-ba rig-pa dpal-ldan rgyud- bzhti bla-dpe),986 which had been translated by the great translator Vai- rocana, from the "Vase Pillar" in the middle storey of the innermost shrine at Samye, at three chutso past midnight [approximately 1. 12 a. m. ] on Wednesday 19 July 1038 (fifteenth day, seventh month, earth male tiger year). He copied the books and returned the originals to their proper resting place. Then he concealed the copies for about one year. Afterwards, he gave them to Khuton Tarma-tra, the spiritual benefactor from Yarlung. The transmitted precepts fell to Yutok Yonten Gonpo, the second king of physicians in [Tibet] the range of snow mountains, who maintained the enlightened activity [of this medical tradition]. Thus, the enlightened activity and wonderful achievements of this mas- ter alone have been inconceivable.
By propitiating Jambhala, Trapa Ngonshe was granted the ac- complishment of an abundance of gold. On that basis, he founded the great seminary of glorious Tratang987 in the lower valley of Tranang, and built many similar establishments. Since he acted as master of all those, and of the seminary at Samye as well, he seems to have been a
SangyeLama
754 History: Close Lineages o/the Treasures
. of empowerment and trans- great spiritual benefactor. Vanous streams. d ksas [Red Jambhala
. . d with the two aforementlOne ya . and the lineage of the exegetical transmission ? fthe
Science (gso-dpyad rgyud-bzhi), have contmued without interruption.
5 Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer
Trapa Ngonshe
[527. 3-533. 5] The first of those who were famed as the five kingly treasure-finders and the three supreme emanations was Nyang-rel Nyima Czer, the deliberate reincarnation ofthe religious king Tshangpa Lhei Metok [i. e. Trhisong Detsen]. 988 He was born at Sergon in Dzesa, a part of Tamshtil in Lhodrak, in 1136 (fire male dragon year, second cycle). 989 His father was Nyangton Choki Khorlo, and his mother Perna Dewatsel. From his childhood onwards there were limitless wonderful signs: In his eighth year he had many pure visions of the Transcendent Lord Sakyendra,990 the Great Compassionate One, Guru Rinpoche and others, and he was exhilarated for a whole month. In particular, one evening he envisaged Guru Rinpoche riding upon a white horse, the hoofs of which were supported by the gakinis of the four classes. Guru Rinpoche gave him the four empowerments with nectar from his vase, as a result of which Nyang-rel had three experiences, which were like the sky being rent open, the earth shaking, and mountains moving. Consequently, his conduct underwent various changes and everyone held him to be insane. He received the empowerment of Hayagriva from his father and after propitiating that deity at Dzepu Kang-ra had a vision of him. The neighing of a horse resounded from his copper kIla and Nyang-relleft the impressions of his hands and feet in rock. In accord with a prophetic declaration of the gakinis he went to the base of Mawocok Rock, where a gakini of pristine cognition conferred upon him the name Nyima Czer. He became known thus thereafter.
Guru Rinpoche emanated as a yogin called Wangcuk Dorje, who granted Nyang-rel essential documents containing an inventory [of treasures] and gave him lessons. Also, the inventories ofTrapa Ngonshe and the Rashak Treasure-finder,991 with their supplements, came into his hands. In accordance with them he proceeded to the treasure site at the base of Sinmo Parje Rock. He stayed the night there and on the following day a woman who was an emanation of Yeshe Tshogyel came bringing two antelope-skin chests loaded on a white mule. From within one of them she brought out a tiger-skin casket and offered it to Nyang-
756 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
h s and discovered a copper reI.
He also found the entrance to t ettrleoabsu)'ercets and many other riches.
I . ges sacramen a ,
casket, a c ay vase, I m a , £ th [the doctrinal cycles of] the
From the copper casket there ca. me and the Peaceful and Wrath- Great Compassionate One (thUgsh-? edchen). Pfroo)m the clay vase the Cycle of
A ,I' h Guru(gu-ruz1- rag, . k ) spects oJ t e ( -po dang ngan-sngags-kYl s or ;
(mkha'-'gro'i chos-skor).
[images, books, and stupas] representing respectively the body, speech and mind of Hayagrlva, plus sacraments and much else besides. Moreover, from Samye Chimpu, Sinca Rock in Namkecen, the shrine of Enetrakri, and elsewhere, he also brought forth many treasure troves.
Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer attended on numerous gurus including his father, the great Nyangt6n; Gyanyonpa Tonden; Zhikpo Nyima Senge; Mel Kawacenpa; and Tonpa Khace. 992 Under [these masters] he studied mantras and dialectics extensively. He practised the attainment of the Guru as the Gathering of the Three Bodies (bla-ma sku-gsum 'dus-pa) for three years, whereupon he met the master Padmasambhava in person and obtained many oral authorisations. While experientially cultivating the Guru as the Attainment ofMind (bla-ma thugs-sgrub) at Mutik Shelgi Pagong, Yeshe Tshogyel actually arrived and bestowed on him the text of the Hundredfold Dialogue of the pakinf (mkha'-'gro'i zhu-Ian brgya- rtsa). She led Nyang-rel to the SItavana charnel ground, where the master Guru Rinpoche and the eight awareness-holders who were suc- cessors to the transmitted precepts gave him, separately, the empower- ments of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad), in general and in particular. They also gave him the tantras and the esoteric instructions in their entirety.
Nyang-rel took Cobuma, an emanation of Yeshe Tshogyel, to be his wife, and she bore him two sons, Drogon Namka Ozer and Namka Pelwa, an emanation of Avalokitesvara. Once, when the accomplished master Ngodrup arrived, Nyang-rel volunteered that he possessed the treasure troves of the Eight Transmitted Precepts. Ngodrup then stated that he had preserved the related Transmitted Precepts of the Narrow Path to the Fortress (rdzong-'phrang bka'-ma). Nyang-rel therefore studied them as well and blended together, into one stream, the trans- mitted precepts and the treasures. The accomplished master Ngodrup also gave him the Five Scrolls ofthe Doctrinal Cycle ofthe Great Compas- sionate One (thugs-l'je chen-po'i chos-skor shog-dril lnga) which he had discovered in Lhasa, saying, "Now, you are their master. ,,993
Once, while Nyang-rel was performing the means for the attainment of elixir (sman-sgrub) the elixir goddess personally offered moist myro- balan to him, together with the leaves. 994 He could ascend, cross-legged, into the sky, travel without his feet touching the ground, and display countless other miraculous abilities. He devoted his whole life to meditative attainment and the advancement of education together. Later, his enlightened activity became as vast as space; so his legacy to the teaching was inconceivable.
In his sixty-ninth year, 1204 (wood male mouse) ,995 Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer displayed vast wondrous omens. Above all, a white syllable HRIJ:I emerged from his heart and went off to SukhavatI. In this way did he withdraw from the array of his body. He had predicted that three emanations ofhis body, speech, and mind would arise simultaneously.
ful
Mahakala and Mantras ctrinal cycles of the 9akinls and from the tiger-skm casket many 0
Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer
fi f an image was given to him Sometime a br. aken an inventory, following by a merchant. InsIde of It Nyang b 'sh and the other
chests one rownl
which he discovered two treasure. 'K h tl'ng From inside the
h· d . ge of Valrocana at 0 .
pale gray, be m an Ima h h Tantra of the Gathering of the
brownish chest came. fort t e alon with its transmissions Sugatas of the EIght . TransmItted h nJred and thirty doctrinal and esoteric instructIOns, m ng_man-ngag-dang-bcas-
(bka'-brgyad bde-gshegs _ in the
pa'l chos-tshan brgya-dang sum cu T for use as the rehgIOus kmg
of Vairocana and that of the pale gray chest he found Trhisong Detsen's personal Coples. lt m
Nyang-relNyima Ozer 757
758 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
When Chak Lotsawa went to cremate the master's remains, he failed to start a fire. Then the pyre ignited all by itself and everyone saw a young boy in the crematorium, surrounded by and chanting HA RI NI SA with them, as well as many other omens. Manyextraordin- ary relics were left behind as objects of veneration.
During the actual funeral ceremonies, the great SakyasrI and his followers were invited to attend, and they were delighted with vast offerings of gold. Nyang-rel's son, thinking he should be ordained as a novice asked SakyasrI, who refused to grant his request, saying, "Both of you, father and son, have been great bodhisattvas; and I cannot interrupt a family line of bodhisattvas. Maintaining your present life- style you will be of great benefit to living creatures. "
SakyasrI's extensive praise of both the doctrine and the man shows that, from the start, Nyang-rel was universally renowned as a great indisputable and authentic treasure-finder. Moreover, even biased par- tisans of the new translation schools are free from the taint of having harboured perverse notions [about Nyang-rel], and he became as famous in the Land of Snows as the sun and moon.
Nyang-rel's son and main disciple, Drogon Namka Pelwa, was the master of his teaching, to whom the succession of the transmitted precepts of maturation and liberation was entrusted in its entirety. A prophetic declaration states him to have been the emanation of Ava- lokitesvara. Thinking to fulfil [his father's] intention, through his ex- ceedingly great miraculous abilities he drove the stones in front of Mount Shampo into the sky, as if they were herds of sheep. Others never knew where they came from, but they all landed in a grey mass on the banks of the Kyicu in Lhasa, where they were used for [the reconstruction of] the dike996 [which protected the image of] Lord [Sakyamuni in Lhasa]. It is said that in past times those stones could be distinguished without error.
Drogon Namka Pelwa also commissioned one hundred and eight wall-sized paintings in the Nepali style. He possessed exceedingly great occult powers and abilities and was served by the protectors of the doctrine. Therefore, he could destroy all his enemies with lightning, hail and so forth, by sheer force at any time of the day, disregarding
997
There are many stories which illustrate this. Because of his inconceivable compassion Guru Chowang and many
other emanations became his disciples.
His son, Ngadak Loden, was an emanation of MafijusrI, and his son
Ngadak Dtidtil, in turn, an emanation of Vajrapa1)i. Thus, from these emanations of [the Lords of] the Three Families, who are praised in scripture, there developed successively the "lineage of the sons". There were also the lineages ofNyang-rel Nyima Ozer's disciples, the foremost
Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer 759 IweZre. successors to the transmitted
the season or month.
f h
o w om were the five "sons who
Increased hIS doctrinal activI'ty th h have all-pervasively
precepts", including Nyo" T
M'k ragye
. 1 yo Dor! e. Up to the present da; these r utSI, and Menlungpa
an
d . roug out TIbet b h In central districts. ' ot
on the frontiers,
hIkpo D" .
6 Guru Chiiki Wangcuk
G u m Ch ' k . W.
When he was studying the R F 0 1 angcuk 761
K 1000 oot ragmentofV; . k-l
the latter said to him "In Gjra 1 a under Drigung
Hewillundertakeenlighten youngest son in the
also saId to him, "Geshe Locungpa' e actIvIty. . Zhang Rinpoche had
son! That's a joke But y '11h . maybe I wIll be reborn as y
. OU W I ave a so l ' k " oUr
[533. 5-552. 3] The second of the famed five kingly treasure-finders and the three supreme emanations was the precious Guru Chaki Wangcuk. The religious king Trhisong Detsen reached the highest fruition in the form of the precious Ngadak Nyang[-re1 Nyima Ozer] and had attained buddhahood on [the level called] Unattached Lotus Endowed. 998 Guru Chaki Wangcuk was then revealed as an emanation of his buddha- speech.
Moreover, during the ancient propagation of the teaching a Panpo
named Nyaring had vowed to kill King Trhisong by bringing down a
thunderbolt. At that, a powerful mantra adept called Pangje Tsentram,
who was a disciple of master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra, and Vai-
rocana, raised his index finger menacingly, and the five thunderbolts
which the Panpo brought down simultaneously were returned to be
his own executioners. The Panpo's village was devastated. The king
conferred great rewards on the mantra adept, whose son, Pang Rikdzin
Nyingpo, was appointed to be the officiating priest of the four Further
999
Taming temples.
rites of worship there, and on one such occasion he met the great minister of Layak Dzawar, who presented him with many riches and estates. He accepted them, saying, "This was my land during a previous life. "
From Pang's son, Ktinkyen Sherap Gyelpo, there descended an un- broken line of sagacious and powerful masters; and in that line there arose one Pangtan Trupei Nyingpo. He asked Lama Sangye Nyigom to grant him the vows of celibacy, but was told, "One [married] bodhisattva can benefit living creatures more than an assembly of eight monks. So, I will not break a line of bodhisattvas. "
While PangtOn was living at home, he received a prophetic declaration telling him to take the QakinI Kargi Wangmo to be his wife. Knowing that this referred to one Karza Gonkyi, who was descended from a family of accomplished masters who could roam through the sky, he married her.
Once a year he would visit Khoting to conduct the
many other prophecies in the sam C
. n 1 e me. PangtOn obtained e veIn.
Guru Chtiki Wangcuk
When [the son Who had been thus r .
womb, t? ere were wonderful omens' f ophesled] entered his mother's and valllshed into the crown f h ' : e sun and moon were conjoined
sounded the sound of the ern from her womb there re- she handed a ceremonial silk verses were heard when
sunnse on Thursday 19 J w, and so forth. Then at mal anuary 1212 (fifteenth d fi '
[; e monkey year, fourth cycIe)1002 th b ay, Irst month, water
ather was making a gold co of e . oy was born. At the time, his and, to check the coincidence py Lztany o[ the Names of Manjusrf
Lord f d . . 'note t athehadJustreachedthewords,
o Octnne, kIng of doctrine
Therefore th h'1
, eel d was named Ch"k
1003 . . .
Seers declared, too, that the' [; 0 I "Lord of Doctrine". III antwasworshIppedbygodsanddemons.
762 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Beginning in his fourth year Chowang learned writing and reading from his father. He studied thirteen treatises on grammar, including the Sword at the Gateway to Language (smra-sgo mtshon-cha, T 4295), Five Texts on the Recitation ofSanskrit Formulae (rig-klag sde-lnga), and the Great Vivarta (bi-barta chen-mo); ten treatises on the principles of behaviour, including the Point of Human Sustenance; Chinese divina- tion; the transmitted precepts and treasures on medical science; seven texts on royal genealogy (rgyal-rabs sde-bdun); one hundred and four treatises on music and drama, including the Collected Stories ofthe Great Lineage of Riddles (lde-brgyud chen-po'i sgrung-'bum);lO04 seventy-five great texts of Pon; one hundred great texts on rites of thread-cross exorcism; much iconometry of the inner and outer traditions of secret mantra; four great volumes of the Vajrakfla cycle (phur-pa'i skorpod-chen bzhi); and many others. In his tenth year he studied six traditions of Vajrapal). i according to the new translation schools; and when he propi- tiated that deity the water in his ritual vase began to boil. He performed the ritual services of Yamantaka and VajrakIla to their full measure. In his eleventh year he completed [the study of] the empowerments, tan- tras, and esoteric instructions of the Magical Net. At twelve he learned the I(anka1Ji Dhiira1Jz (ka-ka-nz) and the Five Protective Dhiira1Jz (Paii- carak$ii, T558-9 & 561-3), and the Hundred Means for Attainment; and he performed the practice of the Hundred-Syllable Mantra (yig- brgya). In his thirteenth year he received many traditions of the ancient and new translation schools, including Yangdak Heruka, and
Yamantaka, two traditions of the Great Compassionate One, and Haya- griva; and he propitiated them.
During his thirteenth year, too. Chowang experienced a vision in which the lady Tara led him to the top of a crystal castle where he met Vajrasattva. There was a four-faced there, whose white face in front said, "Y ou will maintain the teaching of the Buddha"; her yellow face to the right, "You must propagate the true doctrine"; her red face to the rear, "You will exalt the station of the sarrzgha"; and her blue face to the left, "You must tame those who are hard to train in this evil age". With these words she handed him a white arrow with five quills. IOOS
In his fourteenth year Guru Chowang studied logic, the Compendium of the Abhidharma, the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva, the Hevajra Tantra, and other great texts under Tise Trogyang Sarwa. He also received esoteric instructions such as those of the Great Seal, Great Perfection, Pacification, and Six Doctrines. He studied the BriefAccount of the Truths according to the Madhyamaka (dbu-ma bden-chung, T 3902 & 4467) under Thakorwa; the exegesis and attainment of the cycle of Atiyoga, and other siitras and mantras of the ancient and new traditions under Tshurton, father and son; and Pacification, the Great Seal, Great Perfection, Object ofCutting, an introduction to the instructions (gdams-
ngag ngo-sprad) and all th h "
Guru Ch'k 'T V l"
0 1 wangcuk 763
e wrathful
tlIe teachIng under his father. And he ? f the protectors of
a . , xpenentially mastered them
In hIS seventeenth year he met casteroftheinfinitetreasure and became the
zer. When he was eighteen he , t e precIOUS Nyang-rel Nyima of enlightened attitude from ,vows of] the cultivation doctnnal connection at Ky ya a. t:l9Ita at Nezhi Gangpo
Stiipa of Lhalung. That attended the consecration at ;h: udumbara flower on Mount went in search of an a blue lotus, the sublime MafijusrI where, seated atop
]iianakaya Dharmadhatul [B d . ,
panse of reality! ] I am th' I dO Yf of pnstme cognition, ex-
. eor 0 thedot' I
mmd. Knowing the m' d ' , c nne. know your
mISanmc . b
the doctrin'e The m ' oncelva Ie approach to
. eanmg of th" ,
to the doctrine is naturall r IS approach
sole seminal point N I hY P esent, pnstme cognition the . ow, aveexpl' d . ,
oftheeighty-fourthousandd
th . ,
e SIgnIficance of it!
,ame toyouthemeaning
At Chowang awoke from h'
obtaIned the entire doctrin IS seep WIth the conviction that he had
Wh "e.
, en he was m hIS thirteenth '
whIch had been discovered at Sam ian on yellow paper,
' ,
ymg on that mventory. Some
passed on, came into his possess'y
charlatans had tried to find t IOn. n the meantIme, many foolI'sh
hd a,
I'
reasure by reI ost theIr lives and others had
If anyone kept that' to escape from thunderbolts and
And if anyone home, its magic became 0
m a whirlpool, or underground i It m,an abyss, at a crossroad, elements. Since no one could hand/ ,t ,remallled undamaged by the Scroll of Devastation". Guru It b,ecame known as the "Yellow
do with that Yellow Scroll CfhDowang s, father said, "What will
thmg) C ' 0 . an you bnbe death)" S
eVastatIOn wh' h d
elsewhere, . 0 Afterwards ' h'
,m IS twenty-second it and befriended a realised
Guru Chowang furtively re-
WIththelatter'shelp her d practltloneroftheObjectofCutting fN ' 10unasupplemt ' . 0, amkecen in Layak N ' H en ary lllVentory in the valley
naga demon u:rwas entrusted with the key by the
pnstllle cognition wh g , ded the treasure and by a da-k' - f , 0 appeared m th ' . miO
opened the door of the e gUlse of a consort When h cavern he d' . e
treasure Was a vulture as large Iscovered that the essence of the
OVer the thirteen stages of the h as a garu9a. Riding upon it, he flew
surrounded by a canopy of mRet the ? uddha Vajrasattva Ig t. e ObtaIned the empower-
h
, I C estroys every- e stole the inventory and hid it
octnnalcom
ponents. Examine
1 '
Trapa and gradually
764 History: Close meag
1006
d was given a vase of
L· es ofthe Treasures
and malign mantras, catapults and explosive weapons, hexes and magic or to any of the other crooked crafts,1007 until you have emphasised this doctrine above all else. He who does not master it, though he has learned much else, dies a beggar.
"In general, I am by no means opposed to the treasure doctrines. The Buddha made prophetic declarations concerning treasures in all the sutras and tantras. They were the practices attained by awareness- holders of the past. But previously, there were some small-minded treasure-finders who did not reveal the doctrines in their pure form. They indulged in favouritism and flattery and did not achieve much of benefit to living creatures. By propagating malign mantras before all else Gya Zhangtroml008 obstructed the welfare of living creatures. Doctor Kutsa, owing to his medical practice, neglected to serve living beings through the doctrine. By practising rites of thread-cross exor- cism, the Rashak Treasure-finder later became merely an exorcist. And Ponpo Traksel propitiated Pehar first and foremost, and so became no more than a sorcerer. Such examples are endless.
"Though the conquerors of the past intended to benefit others, these treasure-finders became useless because, without straightening out the root doctrinal texts, they proceeded to act in the name of enlightened activity. But if you practise the doctrine, the protectors of doctrine will incidentally arrive. Even if you do not practise sorcery it will come, for such is the pledge of the doctrinal protectors themselves. Devote yourself to the experiential cultivation of the Trio of the Guru, Great Perfection, and Great Compassionate One without many capricious thoughts. Ngadak Nyang and his son are revered by men because of their propitiation of the Great Compassionate One. They are the only treasure-finders who have not come to ruin.
"Six years ago, I intimated that I was to pass away. Now, that time will come in about two months. Men will come saying yours is a false treasure. Disregard them. Before me thirteen generations of the Pang family have passed, and among them there has been no one who did not acquire signs of accomplishment. And I have by no means been the weakest of them. "
Ngadak Drogon examined Guru Chowang's discoveries, saying, "I have had great experience of treasures"; and he was highly delighted. But the master Thakorwa saw a prophecy among them which spoke of an impending invasion ofTibet by the Mongolian army, and he ridiculed it, saying, "Nowadays there are no Mongols in our country. " Guru Chowang was heart-broken and inclined to reconceal the instructions, but two girls helped him to mount a white, winged horse and led him to the glorious [Copper-coloured] Mountain on Camaradvlpa. The great Orgyen gave him the complete empowerment of the Consummation of Secrets (gsang-ba yongs-rdzogs) and inspired him with instructions and advice, saying:
f wareness
ment of the expressive play a door as described in the
h
nectar. Returning, he opene image of a nine-he. aded
inventory and extracted a cU t boxes Inside the naga 1mage he 1S bronze, and twO amule 1- nei within the amulet-boxes one
d four instructlOnal cyc es
covere . . t uctlOnS . h hundred and eight esotenc . 1ns r treasure troves, W1t
This was the first of the e1ghteen g h· h he obtained, and wh1ch are
. · of the mind treasure, w 1C the add1Hon . .
forth in this mnemon1c. (. . . ) set (. . ) Tamdrinzhap 111,
(. ) dTrakmar 11, .
Namkecen 1, an T d·n (v) Entseigo (V1), (. ) nd amn, . )
d· (viii) Dromcola (lX ,
Monkateng 1V ,
. h· (vn) Tam n n , . . )

KhoY1S 1nmar , . (. ) Caktepma (xn ,
Sekar (x), Kyawophuknng Mon Bumthang (xv), Samye Arya (xiii), Cakpur (X1V),( . . ) Hawo Kang (xviii),
.