In these and other ways he endured inconceivable
austerity
for the sake of the doctrine.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
Because he had nothing else to offer he served his guru with body and speech, and spent two whole summers painting for him.
The master gave him four loads of barley, and two of these he used to buy paper, on which he copied books during the night.
The other two provided butter lamps and his own food.
Because of his austerities he contracted a severe case of lice; but extraordinary spiritual resolve was born within him.
His guru was delighted and advised him to act on behalf of living beings. Once, during an empowerment, he saw the four-armed
. bl therwonderu omensocc· . . mnumera eo b d· f b ddhahood were left behmd, Just
he had realised the five 0 Ies 0
as they are in the tantras.
u
This Melong DOfje was a contempor Orgyenpa, but Orgyenpa was ten years
641
Kumaradza
life.
I
[229 6-236 5] The disciple of Me ong
•_ _ • 642 wasborninamarkettowncalledOn ar ar zmg a
He I . ) He received the name Tharpagyen. in Yoru In 1266 (fire rna e tIger. . r·. £ he was en-
From he o:nd the other dowed with he learned how to read and to write
aspects of subhme wealth. , h received the empowerments
without studying. In his seventh year Lema Gyedor of Orsho Thoteng f
of Hevajra of ye:r he was fully ordained as a
Monastery m Kongpo. layman by the preceptor
T d practised the doctrinal cycle of sangpa, an
ary of the accomplished master his senior and lived a longer
D · was the awareness-holder ofje . . b S d· k
Kumiiriidza
570 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 571
Ekajatf
Mahakala above the guru's head, and the dark-blue Ekajati in front of the door. She appeared twice the size of a man, wielding an impaling stake and holding a she-wolf, while outside the door the witch who served her, whose locks were drenched in blood, drank blood which
she held in her cupped hands.
Kumaradza served the guru for eight consecutive years. He passed
a full winter in the hollow of Nyuktsel, one of the places of practice hallowed by the precious master from Oc;ic;iiyana; and there he had a vision of VajravarahI. His discriminative awareness became limitless.
He built a hermitage at Tsharteng in Yarlung and stayed there for some time. Later, knowing that his guru had passed away, he went to Kharcu and met the guru's two sons in Sakyak. On returning home he held a memorial ceremony on the twenty-fifth day of the month.
When Kumaradza travelled to Tsari, five-coloured rainbows penet- rated a stone image in the meadow of Trikmo-Iha and he encountered many other omens as well. Then, when invited to Tshurpu by Rangjung Dorje, the master of the doctrine, he offered to hIm the
instructions of the Innermost Spirituality. He went to Shang and re- ceived the aural lineage of the Secret Cycles and the Lamp for ihe Eye
of. C. 0ntemplation (bsam-gtan mig-gi sgron-me) from master Gompa, a spIntual descendant of Cegom Nakpo. At Namar in Tingri he attended on Panpo Cangdrup's discourses on Yang-ganpa's Teachings for Retreat ri-chos rnams). He also met Orgyenpa Rincenpel. On the return Journey he received the Black Yamiiri and other teachings from Lama Tralungpa.
mastered most of the teachings on the stage of perfection WhICh were well known in Tibet: the Secret Cycles (gsang-skor); the Cycle khrid-kyi skor); the Cycle ofMeanzng) whzch zs Aro s Great System ofGuzdance (a-ro'i khrid-mo-che don-skor); and so on. These he received from many spiritual benefactors such as master Vegan and others.
He endured hardships for the sake of the doctrine: On one occasion he to Sarma and lived alone for eight months by the shore of Nymgmel Yutso, the Turquoise Lake. Because great miraculous when realises] the common savour with respect to the dISpOSItIOn of realIty, Kumaradza held sway over the local divinities and invited them to his house, where they served and venerated him. Jambhala presented him with a precious gem. Once, he saw a bubble offive-coloured light, about the size ofhis thumb, dissolve into the lake.
. Kumaradza's heart wept with disillusionment and sorrow [at the suffering of the world] and, therefore, he always m hermitages and totally desolate valleys like Shampo, only a wmd-break for shelter. Acting thus, he delivered many dISCIples from saIpsara.
Because his foremost disciples in the Great Perfection were the in- dubitable emanation Karmapa Rangjung Dorje and the conqueror Kumaradza's activity as a propagator of this teaching had no lImIt or end. Just so, the king of the doctrine Drigung Rincen Phtintsok has said, "The master of the teaching of this doctrine was the all-knowing Longcenpa. Its great expansion was effected in the time of the conqueror Rangjung Dorje. ,,644
Kumaradza had thoroughly trained himself in the conduct of a b? dhisattva and so, by the power ofgreat compassion, he totally devoted to planting by skilful means the seed of liberation in many vIllages and districts. He gave safe passage to all who travelled on the dangerous trail from Kongpo to E; and he was truly en- dowed WIth loving kindness toward wild animals, fish, and other feeble creatures. Thus, he unstintingly exerted himself to form sanctuaries by the mountains, roads, and rivers; and he made the land happy and gentle. He alleviated the misfortunes offrost, hail, and infectious disease and so on, in all the districts, towns and countries in which he dwelt; and he was totally devoted to benefitting others.
Kumaradza was able to explain the instructions of the Innermost
S" I'
pIntua lty without mixing them with other systems of the stage of
572 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
perfection; and thus he created a philosophical system in the technical language [of the Great Perfection itself]. 645 The tip of his nose was marked with the syllable A. EkajatI, protectress of the way of secret mantra, Rahula, the planetary divinity, and the oath-bound Dorje Lekpa obeyed his command,646 and he could converse with them as with men. By supernormal cognitive powers he knew the thoughts of those requiring teaching and thus was skilled at teaching, and could bless the minds of others.
To all the fortunate ones who were his disciples special signs arose at the time of his passing. For all of these reasons he is said to have been an emanation of Vimalamitra. And there is a prophecy in the Penetration ofSound which refers to him as Gelong Pelden, the "Glorious Monk". 647
After innumerable acts of service to living creatures, Kumaradza passed away during his seventy-eighth year, on Sunday 14 September 1343 (twenty-fifth day, eighth month, water female sheep). 648 His pas- sing was attended by sound, light, a rainbow canopy and other wondrous omens. His attendant Gomdar and other close followers were consumed with fervent devotion at that time, and the master rose again. Sitting cross-legged and smiling, he said, "Do not grieve. I am not dead. " And he gave them suitable instruction and advice. He prolonged his life for thirteen days and then, on the morning of the seventh day of the following month, his disciples asked, "What are we to do after your passing? Should we invite the all-knowing guru, Longcenpa? "
He answered, "Do not bother him. Ifeven now you have not resolved your doubts regarding the doctrine, then go to him. But I have already given you much advice. Do not indulge in idle talk. "
Then, crouching in the posture of a f$i he smiled, with his eyes fixed in the gaze of the buddha-body of reality. At dawn, on the eighth, he journeyed to wherever it is that the primordial city may be found. the cremation, which was held on the twenty-fifth of the month, hIS whole skull was left behind. It contained the ma1)<;iala of the Conquerors of the Five Families, a whole blue-coloured image of Bhanarika above the right ear, and five kinds of remains and relics. And all around there was a dense canopy of rainbow light.
Karmapa III) Rangjung Dorje
[236. 5-238. 5] The lord among conquerors, Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, was the actual presence in the world of the sublime Avalokitesvara. He was summoned from the expanse of reality by a song of indestructible reality [sung by] the <;iakinls of pristine cognition. Gazing upon beings with boundless compassion he entered the world by resurrectIng the corpse of the dead son of an elderly couple from TOlung. . said, "It is an ill omen for the eyes of the dead to see the hVIng. And they gouged out his eyes with a needle. .
The Karmapa then abandoned that body, which was no longer perfect with respect to the eight liberties and ten endowments. He transferred his consciousness and took birth as the son of a yogin and a yogin! .
It is well known that with the exceptions of Sakyamuni Buddha in
India and this great, accomplished master in Tibet, no one else possessed
such recollection of past lives, without even a hair's breadth of obscura-
tion, and was completely unpolluted by the taints of the womb. In
India and Tibet respectively, they were unique life-giving trees of the Buddha's teaching.
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 573
Kannapa JJJ) Rangjung Dorje
Karmapa obtained the treasure of the elixir of life at Samye Chimpu
and Yamalung; and he used it to prolong the life of the Chinese em- 649
He saw Vimalamitra vanish in the circle of hair between his own eyebrows, whereupon the intention of the Innermost Spirituality was properly revealed to him. But, in order to show others how to an. end on the guru in accord with the way of secret mantra, he surpassed pnde and studied the complete esoteric instructions of the Secret Inner-
most Spirituality under the awareness-holder Kumaradza. When he realised that there had to be a lineage of this teaching coming from the great master Padmasambhava, he had a vision of that master, the Second
peror.
574 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Buddha. He received the esoteric instructions of the Innermost Spiritu- ality directly from him; but to preserve the verbal lineage he invited Gyelse Lekpa of Sho, and received the complete teaching from him at the New Tsari Hermitage.
Moreover, Rangjung Dorje taught his own disciples to be adept in the Great Perfection. He gave to Menlungpa Sakya Zhonu and others an order saying that, in order to prevent the decline of this doctrine, it should be propagated in Tsang by YungtOn Dorjepel,650 in Kham and Kongpo by Yegyelwa, in Mongolia and China by Yeshe Gyeltsen, and in Central Tibet by Trtilkuwa.
There is a well-known prophecy referring to Karmapa Rangjung Dorje:
This teaching will be propagated
To the shores of the oceans,
By a bodhisattva who abides on the [ten] levels.
4 Longcen Rapjampa
Samantabhadra was naturally manifest in the expanse of Rangjung Dorje's mind; and when he had mastered the great treasure of his intention he originated the instructions known as the Innermost Spiritu- ality of Karmapa (karma snying-tig), which was also one fountain-head of the teaching.
651
[238. 5-277. 4] The second conqueror, the all-knowing lord of speech
from glorious Samye, Longcen Rapjampa, hailed from a line of noble
descent - that of Oki Kyinkorcen, the ruler of Ngenlam - in the village
of Todrong, in the Tra valley ofYoru. His clan was Rok, and his father
was of the twenty-fifth generation descended from the family of the
Gyelwa Choyang, who had been a direct disciple of the great
master Padmasambhava, and one of the "seven men who were tested".
This figure was also known by the name or, in Tibetan,
Yeshe Wangposung. 652 Longcenpa's grandfather, Lhasung, had lived
for one hundred and fifty years by achieving the alchemical transforma-
tion of deathless nectar; and his father, master Tenpasung, was adept
at the sciences and the yoga of mantras. Longcenpa's mother, Dromza
Sonamgyen, was descended from the family of DromtOn Gyelwei
653
Jungne.
When Longcenpa was conceived his mother dreamt that the rays of
the sun shone upon the forehead of an enormous lion, illuminating the three world realms, and vanished into her body. On Saturday 2 March 1308 (tenth day, second month, earth monkey year of Phurbu, fifth cycle)654 he was released from her womb. Namdru Remati raised the babe in her hand,655 just as Devendra had done to Prince Siddhartha, and said, "I shall protect him. " She returned the child to the mother and vanished.
Because the bodhisattva was rich from the beginning in sublime wealth, the attributes of faith and compassion were clearly and un- obstructedly present within him. From his fifth year he knew well how to read and write. He received many means for attainment and cere- monies from his father, such as those of the Gathering of the Sugatas of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad bder-'dus), Vajrakfla, HayagrTva, and the Text on the Rites of the Guru (bla-ma'i las-gzhung). He also obtained a sufficient understanding of medicine, astrology and the other sciences. In his ninth year he memorised completely the sl1tras of the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in Twenty-
576
History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
(rgod-tshang-pa'i lam-khridj; the Object of Cutting; and Pacification ac- cording to the Early, Middle and Later Traditions (zhi-byed snga-phyi-bar- gsum).
In his nineteenth year Longcenpa entered the seminary of Sangpu Neutok, which had been founded by Ngok Lekpei Sherap, and which was the great academy for the study of logic in Tibet. 656 Under master Tsengonpa, the fifteenth to hold the seat of LingtO [at Sangpu], and Labrangpa Chopel Gyeltsen, the sixteenth to hold the seat, he studied the scriptural authorities and theoretical reasoning of the dialectical vehicle, including the Five Doctrines ofMaitreya, the Seven Sections on Valid Cognition, Transcendental Perfection, and Madhyamaka. From Pang Lo Lodro Tenpa he received such inner treatises as the Five Pro-
found Sutras (zab-chos mdo-Inga), which include the Sutra of the King of Contemplation; the Detailed Commentary on the Heart Sutra of Dis- criminative Awareness (Aryaprajiiaparamitahrdayatfka, T 3821); and many other miscellaneous transmissions, along with all the outer and ordinary subjects: grammar, poetics, prosody, drama and so on. Thus, he reached the culmination of learning.
When Longcenpa propitiated SarasvatI, Acala, and the White VarahI he had visions of them all. In particular, SarasvatI, the goddess of melodious sound, carried him in the palm of her hand and showed him around Mount Sumeru and the four continents in seven days. From her he received a prophecy [of his impending enlighten- ment].
He independently achieved the great accomplishment of un- obstructed intelligence, and so, obtaining fearless brilliance in [the study of] the prolific scriptures and sciences, the great drum of his reputation resounded in all directions, conferring on him the titles "Samye Lungmangwa" (Samye's Recipient of Many Transmissions) and "Longcen Rapjampa" (Extensively Learned One who is Like Vast Space). 657
Under four gurus, including masters Ten Phakpa, Zhonu Tondrup, and Nyotingmawa Sangye Trakpa, he studied teachings belonging to the Ancient Translation School of the vehicle of indestructible reality, in particular, the Trio of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class, as well as the Collected Tantras of the Nyingmapa (rnying-ma rgyud-'bum). Under the master Zhongyel and others he studied the complete tradition of the sublime Nagarjuna, including the Clearly Worded Commentary and the Introduction to the Madhyamaka [both by Candraklrti]. Under Zhondor he studied [San- tideva's] Introduction to the Conduct ofa Bodhisattva and Compendium of Lessons, and so on, as well as the Cycle of the Meditational Deities of Atisa (jo-bo'i yi-dam-skor), the Six-limbed Yoga (Kalacakra- and the Six Doctrines [ofNaropa, nil-ro chos-drug, T 2330]. Under his preceptor he studied the Cycle of Trhopupa (khro-phu-pa'i
Longcen Rabjampa
. . E' ht Thousand Lines, by recItmg t e
five Thousand Lmes m rg h hundred times. In
receptor Samdrup 0 amy,e an
P
andwascapableof 11S owerments, instructions year. At sixteen he receIved ma:. yR' those of the Path and FrUIt m u c h g u i d a n c e f r o m m a s t e r ; r x ( c h o s - d r u g g n y i s ) ; t h e
(lam-'bras); the Two Systems 0 " d T 1551-6)' Cakrasarrzvara TT -h-(phagmo1chos- rug, ' 2)
T h. . lt m Lodro . received the name s u n h stud' of the Vinaya of the true doctnne
g
Longcenpa made a th? r? u . me:nin to others during his fourteenth
Six Doctrines of v ,r - nta ada (bde-mchog dril-bu-pa, T 143 accordingtotheTradztwnofc. ha. . . : f(ph a -rdor'khor-chen). FromgurUS and the Great Assembly ofV ydg hopupa he received many
W -yeTontshu,anTr , .
such as master ang , . 1 d'ng those be10ngmg to t
he
. .
ordained as a novice by the e master Ktinga Ozer; and he
tantras of the way of secret mantra, mc u. I d also the Indestructible - nd Yogatantra, an h
Kriyatantra, Caryatantra, a _ T 372), the Buddhakapala; t e Tent; the Ocean of pakas the precious Zalungpa Vajra Garland; the Kalaca raj tru,tions of Zhang Tshelpa (zhang-
and others he receIved the of ns tshal-pa'i gdams-skor); the Gwdance on t
Path according to Gotsangpa
h m one
;
Longcen Rapjampa 577
578 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Longcen Rapjampa 579
skor) and the Doctrinal Cycle of Kharak (kha-rag chos-skor), as well as the Ocean ofMeans for Attainment (sgrub-thabs rgya-mtsho, T 3400-644), the Hundred Brief Doctrines (chos-chung brgya-rtsa, T 4465-567), the
Transmissions of the Vinaya, and a great many others.
Longcenpa studied many transmitted doctrines under lord Rangjung Dorje, including the Six-limbed Yoga and its Means to Remove Obstacles (sbyor-drug gegs-sel dang bcas-pa); the Six Doctrines ofNaropa, the Intro- duction to the Three Bodies (sku-gsum ngo-sprod), Jinasagara (rgyal-ba rgya-mtsho), Avalokitesvara according to the Tradition of the King (spyan-
ras-gzigs rgyal-po-lugs), Guhyasamaja, the Sampura Tantra (T 381), the Mahamaya, and the forms of Red and Black Yamari (T 468-70). Under master Wangtstil he studied the Six-limbed Yoga, the 0cf4iyana Tradition ofRitual Service and Attainment (bsnyen-sgrub, i. e. o-rgyan bsnyen-sgrub),
teachings on vital energy (rlung-skor), and many others as well. Under
658
Lama Tampa [Sonam Gyeltsen] of Sakya
found doctrines of the Sakyapa, including the Great Development of the Enlightened Mind (sems-bskyed chen-mo), and the Path and Fruit. Under Zhondor of Shuksep-ri, a disciple in the line of the three famous gurus
of the lineage of Pacification - namely, Ma [Choki Sherap], So[-cung Gendtinbar], and Kam [Yeshe Gyeltsen]659 - he studied the Three Doha Cycles (do-ha skor-gsum), the Three Cycles on Retreat Practice (ri-chos skor-gsum), and the Hundred Causal Relations (rten-'brel brgya-rtsa).
In short, Longcenpa comprehended most of the philosophical and spiritual systems that were known in the land of snow mountains. He developed an unobstructed facility for explanation, disputation, and composition. Thus, he thoroughly mastered all the branches of conven- tional science [i. e. grammar, logic, etc. ], the textual traditions of the
sl1tras and of the way of mantras, the cycles of esoteric instruction, and
so forth.
Then, because in general he was endowed with boundless sorr? w
and disillusionment at the condition of the world, he resolved to hve in solitude. Seeing the partisan behaviour and misconduct of the Khampa scholars66o at his college Longcenpa became disgusted and decided to go off to live as a mendicant free from worldly cares. The
preceptor and students, who perceived the rare incisiveness of this holy
man could not bear it and earnestly tried to delay his departure. But " 661
he set out undeterred. Near the reliquary of the great translator Ngok,
he met an inquisitive monk who sought to delay him further. Longcenpa disclosed the nature of his distress and the monk also complained of the behaviour of the Khampa scholars. The monk encouraged him and said, "Now that you have left the college and there is no limitation on your ability as an author, you should publicise the infamy of the Kham-
pas. " For amusement Longcenpa filled a small page, which the monk carried and attached to the throne in the teaching court. When the Khampas noticed it they removed the letter from sight,. but the thirty-
line alphabetical poem, beginning with the line, "Like the ogres who roam in Kalinga. . . ," circulated all over the kingdom. 662
Longcenpa then wandered about without direction, and devoted him- self exclusively to practice. When he had practised yoga in darkness for five months in the Gyamei Cokla Cave, he heard the music of cymbals and melodious song. When a visible manifestation arose, he saw that it was a girl of sixteen years, robed in a train of silk, adorned with gold and turquoise ornaments. She rode upon a horse covered with leather mail that was adorned with bells, and her own face was concealed by a golden veil. He clasped the hem of her dress and prayed, "Please bless me, sublime one! " She removed a crown of precious gems from her head and placed it upon the head of the all-knowing one, saying, "From now on I shall always bless you, and bestow accomplish- ment on you. " Longcenpa remained immersed for a long while in a blissful, radiant, non-discursive contemplation. This was an auspicious sign that he would encounter a doctrine associated with the esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection.
Then, in his twenty-ninth year, he went to meet the genuine guru Kumaradza, who was residing in the uplands of Yartokyam at Samye during the spring and summer seasons. Ort the way he met Yakde Pa1). cen,663 who urged him to approach His Presence, the Karmapa, but Longcenpa continued his journey without paying attention. In the uplands of YarWkyam he met the awareness-holder Kumaradza, who lived with his group of disciples in about seventy fabric wind-breaks. The master said to them, "Last night I dreamt that a wonderful bird, which announced itself to be a divine bird, came with a large flock in attendance, and carried away my books in all directions. Therefore, someone will come to hold my lineage. " He was utterly delighted.
At the same time Longcenpa was abjectly sad, because he had no tribute to offer for the doctrine. He thought, "I should not approach the guru without some tribute for the doctrine. As I have none, I should be ashamed to move on during the daytime, so I will go to the lower part of this valley at dawn tomorrow. " But the guru, who knew of his thoughts by supernormal cognitive powers, told [his disciples] that Longcenpa was blameless, for he had offered his tribute inwardly. Two of them repeated this to Longcenpa, who greatly rejoiced.
To arouse disillusionment [towards the world] in his disciples, the awareness-holder Kumaradza had no fixed home. During the spring and summer of that year he wandered nine times from one deserted valley to the next. Because it seemed as if they had to move just as they had made camp, Longcenpa could obtain neither food nor clo- With the change of seasons he was completely worn ;ut by the bItter cold and the icy terrain; and he survived for two months on nothing but three measures of flour and twenty-one mercury pills. Then, when the snow fell he lived inside a sack garment which served
he studied the many pro-
580 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Longcen Rapjampa 581
both as a robe, and as a bed.
In these and other ways he endured inconceivable austerity for the sake of the doctrine.
That year he obtained the empowerments, guidance and instructions
on the Great Perfection, the secret Innermost Spirituality, and then he
meditated upon it.
The next year Kumaradza filled him, as if he were a vase, with higher
empowerments and with the tantras, transmissions, and esoteric instruc- tions of the Three Classes of the Great Perfection, along with the rites of the protectors of the doctrine. He was appointed to be the successor to the teaching, and vowed to practise [in retreat] for six years.
In his thirty-first year Longcenpa guided many fortunate beings to spiritual maturation and liberation at Nyipu Shl! ,ksep, by of the Innermost Spirituality. At that time a yogin, Ozer Koca, dIscovered the text of the Innennost Spirituality of the l)akinf after great trials; and he offered it to Longcenpa to examine. Simultaneously, Longcenpa received the book in a dream from [the protectress] Shenpa Sokdrupma
(Butcher Life-grantress). . .
The following year, his thirty-second, while he was practIsmg at Rimochen in Chimpu, he gave teaching of the Innermost Spirituality to eight fortunate yogins and yoginIs. When he conferred the blessing
of the elaborate empowerment one yoginI was possessed by the protectress of mantra; and she began to dance. The other disciples could not bear her radiance, but the guru said, "You need not worry because she is possessed by a <;lakin! . As I am a yogin who has realised that mind and appearances are of the same savour, no obstacles will come of it. "
Then the yoginI bowed before the guru. Gazing upon the maJ). <;lala, she said, "Why is there no peacock quill? "
Longcenpa replied, "I have visualised it mentally. "
"In this symbolic doctrine, what has that got to do with it? " With that question, she removed the vase's supporting platform and set down three vases fastened together. The master then performed the ceremony in perfect detail and she clasped her hands together and her approval. When he omitted the final letter s from the word rzgs, and pronounced it as rik, she said, "No, no! You should say while he was reciting the mantra, she said, "You should ImItate me,
and she sang it in a strange, harmonious melody in the <;lakinIs' language. During the actual ground or main part of the empowerment, the yoginI sang a song about view and meditation which are beyond the
range of intellectual appraisal:
Mind free from meditation is joyful.
Mind free from meditation - Oh my! it is happy.
Saying that the offerings were of poor quality and insufficient, . she offered, instead, her melodious song. And during the feast offenng,
when nectar was offered to the guru, she said, "This is a sacrament of the <;lakinIs. You must take it, by all means. " And she invited him to drink it all.
At that time, the group of disciples also became exhilarated and they began to sing and to dance. They attained one-pointed absorption in inner radiance, which transcends ordinary sleep,665 and they could actually see the forms of various warriors, gakinIs, and protectors of the doctrine. A black woman appeared and said, "The first fruits of the offering of barley flour have diminished. " And the oath-bound Dorje Lekpa appeared in the form of a white man who said, "There is no red ornament [i. e. meat] on my tonna. "
Como Dangla came in the guise of a white man riding on a white horse, desirous of a tonna offering, but he declined the red tonna offered to him. A host of <;lakinIs raised a parasol above Longcenpa and cir- cumambulated him uttering such fearsome sounds as HOM and PHAT in a tumultuous uproar. And many other inconceivable miracles also took place. One yogin remarked, "Tonight heaven and earth are re- versed. No doubt they're after flesh and blood! " And he was terrified.
In the same way, the protectors Ode Kungyel, Nyencen Thangla, and the seven Menmo sisters came to take their tonna offerings. 666 Then VajravarahI actually appeared, her blue body adorned with precious gems and bone ornaments. At that time there was an exchange of questions. She said, "This is a wild night. I have come to spy on the worthy disciples. How is the health ofyour holy guru [Kumaradza]? "
"This year his health almost failed. Now what will happen? "
VajravarahI replied, "How can obstacles come to an emanation of a buddha? The obstacles are the expression of his intention on behalf of his disciples. Do you not know that he is Vimalamitra, returned to Tibet? "
Longcenpa asked, "How long will he live? "
"Until the next year of the sheep. After that, whether he lives or not will depend on his disciples. "
"But have I not been urged by guru Kumaradza to help others? " "Yes, indeed! "
"If I practise the means for attainment in solitude will I achieve the
body of light? If I help others instead, then how much will I benefit sentient beings? And how long can I live? "
"Even though you achieve the body of light, you must help sentient beings. Serve others and you can live for thirty more years! "
Then the guru asked, "Who are the protectors of my transmitted precepts? "
"There are a great many. All those of the guru are yours, especially Dorje Yudronma. Accordingly, the quarter in which you are to serve the world is in the south-west. In your next life your service to the world will be even greater than it is in the present one. ,,667
582 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
"Well", he asked, "is that owing to the teaching of the Innermost
Spirituality of the /)akinz? Is it all right to confer its empowerment and guidance? "
"Oh, yes indeed, yes indeed! There will be absolutely no error. You
are certainly the master of this doctrine. "
"But then will people not think that I am a hypocrite [for openly
granting the secret teaching]? "
"Why pay attention to slander? I myself will assemble the worthy
ones. The unworthy, after all, slander even the Buddha. "
Then he asked, "Should I reveal the transmitted doctrines of the
Innermost Spirituality in the domain of Dorje Yudronma? "
"Because the qakinIs naturally assemble here, this is where you should
reveal the teaching. "
Then she made a clear prophetic declaration regarding the treasure
troves in Bumthang. 668 Afterwards, he asked, "Will I meet the great
master Padmasambhava? "
"In the uplands of three valleys, in the lowlands of three mountains,
and in the right-hand corner of a small cave facing west; there you shall meet him. "
"When will I meet Vimalamitra? " he asked.
669 "You have already met him," she answered.
"Is the view that I have realised the ultimate intention ofthe Innermost
Spirituality? "
"There can be no error with respect to the ultimate," she replied.
Then master Rindor [who was one of those present] asked, "Where
is Pangangpa Rincen Dorje? ,,670
VajravarahI pointed her finger at Longcenpa and said, "Here he is! "
But Longcenpa objected, "His next life was to have been in Bum-
thang. How can I be he? "
"That is so, but he has not been born thus; for it became necessary
for him to explore the field of the buddha-body of perfect rapture in the meantime. After the master Rincen Dorje discovered his treasures he was to practise for some years in secret. Had he done so, he would have mastered, for his own sake, the inner radiance that is the buddha-
body of perfect rapture; and he would have been of great service to others. But, because he did not maintain secrecy, he did not live out his full span. Now that he has been born as yourself, the manifestation of
inner radiance that you have integrated into your practice of the path is that brief exploration of the field of the buddha-body of perfect rapture. " Then Longcenpa asked, "Will my body vanish without a trace? "
"You could achieve that right now ifyou were to meditate in solitude, but if you serve others you will be liberated during the intermediate state. Your emanation will take birth in Bumthang and will serve others.
H e , m o r e o v e r , w i l l j o u r n e y t o t h e w e s t e r n l a n d o f O q Q i y a n a a n d r e v e a l the attainment of buddhahood. " .
Longcen Rapjampa 583
"Which he asked, "will be more beneficial for me . thel I7nnge)rmost Spzrztuality of Vimalamitra (bi-ma'i snying-thig Vo s. - or that of the DakinZ? " ,
ale The Vimalamitra tradition will be widespread da un re years, and the Innermost Spirituality of the Dakinf will
en ure for five hundred years, beginning today ,,671 . After th. at Longcenpa also became exhilarated·and he arose H
a song of mdestructible reality, which ended as' follows:
This life is bliss and the next will be h
Blish . f appy.
A ; as ansen rom the intermediate state!
n now: to greater blIss still will I pass.
I offer. thls song, 0 Three Precious Jewels! Be delIghted! Rejoice! you host of qakinIs!
. e sang
[When he had finished singing]
able host of qakinls, all of whom
perceIved hIm, then, to be transformed into the buddha-bod rapture for some time.
radiant and he wore a silk cloak and soft hat
. l e o a young antelope. He was surrounded by an infinitel and was seen to vanish into the guru himsel fro t ieakln! S weanng bone ornaments, who were flying to and
d
t edshY' honoured hIm. Three dark brown women began to ance, an t ey sang:
we have arrived, arrived from the land of great bliss e have come to spy on your worthy disciples .
We have come to inspect the purity of May you benefit the world, 0 enlightened son! .
Longcenpa was making the inner offering, the great
VajravarahI Vimalamitra h. is right, and . h ere were many dakmIs blo .
ontIg-bonetrumpets Andbh. . . , h
wmg ade ts h . . hIm were numerous mantra
dressed in golden robes, who and sang songs of indestructible of the assembly the guru rose
Be j? yful . and happy, all of you yogins. Tomght, m the pure Akanistha realm
. . ,
In bd
Thmy 0 y, a palace of gods peaceful and wrathful
T h : ° d f t h e e m p t y a n d r a d i a n t , u a wells not outSIde, but within!
f·
CY yo peflect
584 And:
History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
o meditator who abides in mind alone,
Let your mind be at rest, not grasping one point;
For mind is empty when it proliferates, empty at rest: Whatever arises is pristine cognition's play.
Longcen Rapjampa 585
"I am not pleased with their methods of teaching. Even a clay pot has [a handle],674 but that is not enough. It must also have an owner. "
"And what about the treasure discovered by Rincen Lingpa? "
"Oh, that exists, to be sure. But it is not pure [i. e. not the pure Innermost Spirituality]. "
"How is it that I have realised you, without meditating upon you? "
"Am I a deity upon whom you must meditate? Have I a mantra you must recite? Am I an object of worship? Do you not know that I am ever present before all yogins who observe their commitments and who have realisation? Throughout all your lives, I have neither been with, nor without you. "
Then he asked, "Where are the riches of the Princess,675 that are said to be concealed in Chimpu? "
"They are on a crag, shaped like an offering of divine foodstuffs, but with the top cut off. The time has not yet come for their revelation. "
"When will the treasures of Vimalamitra be discovered? "
"Five years from now they will be discovered and propagated by a mantra adept dressed in white. The four profound volumes will come into your hands. ,,676
It was on the eleventh day ofthe bright halfofthe month that Longcenpa sent the yogin Ozer Koca to bring the books [ofthe Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)iikinf]. On his return journey an aura ofrainbow light permeated and surrounded them. In particular, during the night of his arrival at Chukpo Trak, near the Stone Stl1pas of Zurkardo, all the yogins and yoginls saw auras offive-coloured rainbow light all the way from there to Rimochen.
Longcenpa performed a feast offering, the rites for the fulfilment of
commitments, and so forth, and then opened the door of the esoteric
instructions of the Innermost Spirituality of the I)iikinz. The best of
gurus, meditational deities and 9akinls blessed him so as to disclose
fully to his mind the great way in which the [ultimate] essence abides,
which cannot be even partially described by the well-known and popular
jargon that refers to inner radiance, such as that from the manifestation
of that inner radiance by night the intention of the body of reality
merges with the primordially pure expanse; that the body of perfect
rapture arises as its manifest expression; and that the emanational body
and the six realms of existence arise separately from its outward
At that time the white goddess, Dorje Y udronma, arrived with her seven sisters and asked him to visit her domain. "I want to live forever in your domain," said Longcenpa.
"I would rejoice if you were to live there forever, but it seems you will not stay beyond mid-winter. "
He then asked, "Why have you come to me? "
"I was bound under an oath of allegiance by the guru Padmasam- bhava. I come in the wake of his treasures. "
"But the treasures are yonder, and the adepts who discovered them have passed away. What will you achieve here? "
"The treasures are yonder, but the meaning is here. Though you passed away before, your good fortune did not pass away. Therefore, I have come. The protectors of the transmitted precepts have made a prediction that, because the instructions are very powerful, you are in danger of obstacles to your life. It will be better if you give guidance on them only a little. "
He asked, "Will the written texts of the treasures come into my
possession? "
"Yes, yes. We will keep it in mind. Do you not remember the
accomplishment I bestowed upon you in Uru? "
He recalled the past incident at the Cokla Cave and said, "Then, are
you not Dorje Yudronma? "
"No, no. I am VajravarahI. Did you not recognise me? I require two
forms, so that I can perform enlightened activities by this mundane body and confer supreme accomplishment in my transcendent form. "
Then Longcenpa asked, "Here, where the seminal point is the foremost teaching, the third empowerment is conferred with the assist- ance of a partner. 672 Why is that? "
"It is necessary for introducing those of great desire to the path. For those without desire it is sufficient to confer it only mentally. "
"During the bestowal of the introduction [to reality],673 what is t. he significance ofthe words absorption ofthought in the unborn and absorptzon of intellect in the unaccountable? "
"What is the use of causing the stabilisation of thought? Introduce
the vast and open expanse, which has been liberated from the very
beginning. "
"Very well, but many expositors ofthis Innermost Spirituality have ap-
Peared. There are those who grant the transmission which is like the
h · handle, for exampIe Karmapa and Rincen Lingpa. Why should I teac It.
677
Thus, the 9akinls caused him to see nakedly that which
radiance.
was introduced.
At that time, when the texts for the esoteric instructions of the Further Innermost Spirituality ofthe NYZ Vols.
His guru was delighted and advised him to act on behalf of living beings. Once, during an empowerment, he saw the four-armed
. bl therwonderu omensocc· . . mnumera eo b d· f b ddhahood were left behmd, Just
he had realised the five 0 Ies 0
as they are in the tantras.
u
This Melong DOfje was a contempor Orgyenpa, but Orgyenpa was ten years
641
Kumaradza
life.
I
[229 6-236 5] The disciple of Me ong
•_ _ • 642 wasborninamarkettowncalledOn ar ar zmg a
He I . ) He received the name Tharpagyen. in Yoru In 1266 (fire rna e tIger. . r·. £ he was en-
From he o:nd the other dowed with he learned how to read and to write
aspects of subhme wealth. , h received the empowerments
without studying. In his seventh year Lema Gyedor of Orsho Thoteng f
of Hevajra of ye:r he was fully ordained as a
Monastery m Kongpo. layman by the preceptor
T d practised the doctrinal cycle of sangpa, an
ary of the accomplished master his senior and lived a longer
D · was the awareness-holder ofje . . b S d· k
Kumiiriidza
570 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 571
Ekajatf
Mahakala above the guru's head, and the dark-blue Ekajati in front of the door. She appeared twice the size of a man, wielding an impaling stake and holding a she-wolf, while outside the door the witch who served her, whose locks were drenched in blood, drank blood which
she held in her cupped hands.
Kumaradza served the guru for eight consecutive years. He passed
a full winter in the hollow of Nyuktsel, one of the places of practice hallowed by the precious master from Oc;ic;iiyana; and there he had a vision of VajravarahI. His discriminative awareness became limitless.
He built a hermitage at Tsharteng in Yarlung and stayed there for some time. Later, knowing that his guru had passed away, he went to Kharcu and met the guru's two sons in Sakyak. On returning home he held a memorial ceremony on the twenty-fifth day of the month.
When Kumaradza travelled to Tsari, five-coloured rainbows penet- rated a stone image in the meadow of Trikmo-Iha and he encountered many other omens as well. Then, when invited to Tshurpu by Rangjung Dorje, the master of the doctrine, he offered to hIm the
instructions of the Innermost Spirituality. He went to Shang and re- ceived the aural lineage of the Secret Cycles and the Lamp for ihe Eye
of. C. 0ntemplation (bsam-gtan mig-gi sgron-me) from master Gompa, a spIntual descendant of Cegom Nakpo. At Namar in Tingri he attended on Panpo Cangdrup's discourses on Yang-ganpa's Teachings for Retreat ri-chos rnams). He also met Orgyenpa Rincenpel. On the return Journey he received the Black Yamiiri and other teachings from Lama Tralungpa.
mastered most of the teachings on the stage of perfection WhICh were well known in Tibet: the Secret Cycles (gsang-skor); the Cycle khrid-kyi skor); the Cycle ofMeanzng) whzch zs Aro s Great System ofGuzdance (a-ro'i khrid-mo-che don-skor); and so on. These he received from many spiritual benefactors such as master Vegan and others.
He endured hardships for the sake of the doctrine: On one occasion he to Sarma and lived alone for eight months by the shore of Nymgmel Yutso, the Turquoise Lake. Because great miraculous when realises] the common savour with respect to the dISpOSItIOn of realIty, Kumaradza held sway over the local divinities and invited them to his house, where they served and venerated him. Jambhala presented him with a precious gem. Once, he saw a bubble offive-coloured light, about the size ofhis thumb, dissolve into the lake.
. Kumaradza's heart wept with disillusionment and sorrow [at the suffering of the world] and, therefore, he always m hermitages and totally desolate valleys like Shampo, only a wmd-break for shelter. Acting thus, he delivered many dISCIples from saIpsara.
Because his foremost disciples in the Great Perfection were the in- dubitable emanation Karmapa Rangjung Dorje and the conqueror Kumaradza's activity as a propagator of this teaching had no lImIt or end. Just so, the king of the doctrine Drigung Rincen Phtintsok has said, "The master of the teaching of this doctrine was the all-knowing Longcenpa. Its great expansion was effected in the time of the conqueror Rangjung Dorje. ,,644
Kumaradza had thoroughly trained himself in the conduct of a b? dhisattva and so, by the power ofgreat compassion, he totally devoted to planting by skilful means the seed of liberation in many vIllages and districts. He gave safe passage to all who travelled on the dangerous trail from Kongpo to E; and he was truly en- dowed WIth loving kindness toward wild animals, fish, and other feeble creatures. Thus, he unstintingly exerted himself to form sanctuaries by the mountains, roads, and rivers; and he made the land happy and gentle. He alleviated the misfortunes offrost, hail, and infectious disease and so on, in all the districts, towns and countries in which he dwelt; and he was totally devoted to benefitting others.
Kumaradza was able to explain the instructions of the Innermost
S" I'
pIntua lty without mixing them with other systems of the stage of
572 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
perfection; and thus he created a philosophical system in the technical language [of the Great Perfection itself]. 645 The tip of his nose was marked with the syllable A. EkajatI, protectress of the way of secret mantra, Rahula, the planetary divinity, and the oath-bound Dorje Lekpa obeyed his command,646 and he could converse with them as with men. By supernormal cognitive powers he knew the thoughts of those requiring teaching and thus was skilled at teaching, and could bless the minds of others.
To all the fortunate ones who were his disciples special signs arose at the time of his passing. For all of these reasons he is said to have been an emanation of Vimalamitra. And there is a prophecy in the Penetration ofSound which refers to him as Gelong Pelden, the "Glorious Monk". 647
After innumerable acts of service to living creatures, Kumaradza passed away during his seventy-eighth year, on Sunday 14 September 1343 (twenty-fifth day, eighth month, water female sheep). 648 His pas- sing was attended by sound, light, a rainbow canopy and other wondrous omens. His attendant Gomdar and other close followers were consumed with fervent devotion at that time, and the master rose again. Sitting cross-legged and smiling, he said, "Do not grieve. I am not dead. " And he gave them suitable instruction and advice. He prolonged his life for thirteen days and then, on the morning of the seventh day of the following month, his disciples asked, "What are we to do after your passing? Should we invite the all-knowing guru, Longcenpa? "
He answered, "Do not bother him. Ifeven now you have not resolved your doubts regarding the doctrine, then go to him. But I have already given you much advice. Do not indulge in idle talk. "
Then, crouching in the posture of a f$i he smiled, with his eyes fixed in the gaze of the buddha-body of reality. At dawn, on the eighth, he journeyed to wherever it is that the primordial city may be found. the cremation, which was held on the twenty-fifth of the month, hIS whole skull was left behind. It contained the ma1)<;iala of the Conquerors of the Five Families, a whole blue-coloured image of Bhanarika above the right ear, and five kinds of remains and relics. And all around there was a dense canopy of rainbow light.
Karmapa III) Rangjung Dorje
[236. 5-238. 5] The lord among conquerors, Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, was the actual presence in the world of the sublime Avalokitesvara. He was summoned from the expanse of reality by a song of indestructible reality [sung by] the <;iakinls of pristine cognition. Gazing upon beings with boundless compassion he entered the world by resurrectIng the corpse of the dead son of an elderly couple from TOlung. . said, "It is an ill omen for the eyes of the dead to see the hVIng. And they gouged out his eyes with a needle. .
The Karmapa then abandoned that body, which was no longer perfect with respect to the eight liberties and ten endowments. He transferred his consciousness and took birth as the son of a yogin and a yogin! .
It is well known that with the exceptions of Sakyamuni Buddha in
India and this great, accomplished master in Tibet, no one else possessed
such recollection of past lives, without even a hair's breadth of obscura-
tion, and was completely unpolluted by the taints of the womb. In
India and Tibet respectively, they were unique life-giving trees of the Buddha's teaching.
The Esoteric Instructional Class ofAtiyoga 573
Kannapa JJJ) Rangjung Dorje
Karmapa obtained the treasure of the elixir of life at Samye Chimpu
and Yamalung; and he used it to prolong the life of the Chinese em- 649
He saw Vimalamitra vanish in the circle of hair between his own eyebrows, whereupon the intention of the Innermost Spirituality was properly revealed to him. But, in order to show others how to an. end on the guru in accord with the way of secret mantra, he surpassed pnde and studied the complete esoteric instructions of the Secret Inner-
most Spirituality under the awareness-holder Kumaradza. When he realised that there had to be a lineage of this teaching coming from the great master Padmasambhava, he had a vision of that master, the Second
peror.
574 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Buddha. He received the esoteric instructions of the Innermost Spiritu- ality directly from him; but to preserve the verbal lineage he invited Gyelse Lekpa of Sho, and received the complete teaching from him at the New Tsari Hermitage.
Moreover, Rangjung Dorje taught his own disciples to be adept in the Great Perfection. He gave to Menlungpa Sakya Zhonu and others an order saying that, in order to prevent the decline of this doctrine, it should be propagated in Tsang by YungtOn Dorjepel,650 in Kham and Kongpo by Yegyelwa, in Mongolia and China by Yeshe Gyeltsen, and in Central Tibet by Trtilkuwa.
There is a well-known prophecy referring to Karmapa Rangjung Dorje:
This teaching will be propagated
To the shores of the oceans,
By a bodhisattva who abides on the [ten] levels.
4 Longcen Rapjampa
Samantabhadra was naturally manifest in the expanse of Rangjung Dorje's mind; and when he had mastered the great treasure of his intention he originated the instructions known as the Innermost Spiritu- ality of Karmapa (karma snying-tig), which was also one fountain-head of the teaching.
651
[238. 5-277. 4] The second conqueror, the all-knowing lord of speech
from glorious Samye, Longcen Rapjampa, hailed from a line of noble
descent - that of Oki Kyinkorcen, the ruler of Ngenlam - in the village
of Todrong, in the Tra valley ofYoru. His clan was Rok, and his father
was of the twenty-fifth generation descended from the family of the
Gyelwa Choyang, who had been a direct disciple of the great
master Padmasambhava, and one of the "seven men who were tested".
This figure was also known by the name or, in Tibetan,
Yeshe Wangposung. 652 Longcenpa's grandfather, Lhasung, had lived
for one hundred and fifty years by achieving the alchemical transforma-
tion of deathless nectar; and his father, master Tenpasung, was adept
at the sciences and the yoga of mantras. Longcenpa's mother, Dromza
Sonamgyen, was descended from the family of DromtOn Gyelwei
653
Jungne.
When Longcenpa was conceived his mother dreamt that the rays of
the sun shone upon the forehead of an enormous lion, illuminating the three world realms, and vanished into her body. On Saturday 2 March 1308 (tenth day, second month, earth monkey year of Phurbu, fifth cycle)654 he was released from her womb. Namdru Remati raised the babe in her hand,655 just as Devendra had done to Prince Siddhartha, and said, "I shall protect him. " She returned the child to the mother and vanished.
Because the bodhisattva was rich from the beginning in sublime wealth, the attributes of faith and compassion were clearly and un- obstructedly present within him. From his fifth year he knew well how to read and write. He received many means for attainment and cere- monies from his father, such as those of the Gathering of the Sugatas of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad bder-'dus), Vajrakfla, HayagrTva, and the Text on the Rites of the Guru (bla-ma'i las-gzhung). He also obtained a sufficient understanding of medicine, astrology and the other sciences. In his ninth year he memorised completely the sl1tras of the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in Twenty-
576
History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
(rgod-tshang-pa'i lam-khridj; the Object of Cutting; and Pacification ac- cording to the Early, Middle and Later Traditions (zhi-byed snga-phyi-bar- gsum).
In his nineteenth year Longcenpa entered the seminary of Sangpu Neutok, which had been founded by Ngok Lekpei Sherap, and which was the great academy for the study of logic in Tibet. 656 Under master Tsengonpa, the fifteenth to hold the seat of LingtO [at Sangpu], and Labrangpa Chopel Gyeltsen, the sixteenth to hold the seat, he studied the scriptural authorities and theoretical reasoning of the dialectical vehicle, including the Five Doctrines ofMaitreya, the Seven Sections on Valid Cognition, Transcendental Perfection, and Madhyamaka. From Pang Lo Lodro Tenpa he received such inner treatises as the Five Pro-
found Sutras (zab-chos mdo-Inga), which include the Sutra of the King of Contemplation; the Detailed Commentary on the Heart Sutra of Dis- criminative Awareness (Aryaprajiiaparamitahrdayatfka, T 3821); and many other miscellaneous transmissions, along with all the outer and ordinary subjects: grammar, poetics, prosody, drama and so on. Thus, he reached the culmination of learning.
When Longcenpa propitiated SarasvatI, Acala, and the White VarahI he had visions of them all. In particular, SarasvatI, the goddess of melodious sound, carried him in the palm of her hand and showed him around Mount Sumeru and the four continents in seven days. From her he received a prophecy [of his impending enlighten- ment].
He independently achieved the great accomplishment of un- obstructed intelligence, and so, obtaining fearless brilliance in [the study of] the prolific scriptures and sciences, the great drum of his reputation resounded in all directions, conferring on him the titles "Samye Lungmangwa" (Samye's Recipient of Many Transmissions) and "Longcen Rapjampa" (Extensively Learned One who is Like Vast Space). 657
Under four gurus, including masters Ten Phakpa, Zhonu Tondrup, and Nyotingmawa Sangye Trakpa, he studied teachings belonging to the Ancient Translation School of the vehicle of indestructible reality, in particular, the Trio of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class, as well as the Collected Tantras of the Nyingmapa (rnying-ma rgyud-'bum). Under the master Zhongyel and others he studied the complete tradition of the sublime Nagarjuna, including the Clearly Worded Commentary and the Introduction to the Madhyamaka [both by Candraklrti]. Under Zhondor he studied [San- tideva's] Introduction to the Conduct ofa Bodhisattva and Compendium of Lessons, and so on, as well as the Cycle of the Meditational Deities of Atisa (jo-bo'i yi-dam-skor), the Six-limbed Yoga (Kalacakra- and the Six Doctrines [ofNaropa, nil-ro chos-drug, T 2330]. Under his preceptor he studied the Cycle of Trhopupa (khro-phu-pa'i
Longcen Rabjampa
. . E' ht Thousand Lines, by recItmg t e
five Thousand Lmes m rg h hundred times. In
receptor Samdrup 0 amy,e an
P
andwascapableof 11S owerments, instructions year. At sixteen he receIved ma:. yR' those of the Path and FrUIt m u c h g u i d a n c e f r o m m a s t e r ; r x ( c h o s - d r u g g n y i s ) ; t h e
(lam-'bras); the Two Systems 0 " d T 1551-6)' Cakrasarrzvara TT -h-(phagmo1chos- rug, ' 2)
T h. . lt m Lodro . received the name s u n h stud' of the Vinaya of the true doctnne
g
Longcenpa made a th? r? u . me:nin to others during his fourteenth
Six Doctrines of v ,r - nta ada (bde-mchog dril-bu-pa, T 143 accordingtotheTradztwnofc. ha. . . : f(ph a -rdor'khor-chen). FromgurUS and the Great Assembly ofV ydg hopupa he received many
W -yeTontshu,anTr , .
such as master ang , . 1 d'ng those be10ngmg to t
he
. .
ordained as a novice by the e master Ktinga Ozer; and he
tantras of the way of secret mantra, mc u. I d also the Indestructible - nd Yogatantra, an h
Kriyatantra, Caryatantra, a _ T 372), the Buddhakapala; t e Tent; the Ocean of pakas the precious Zalungpa Vajra Garland; the Kalaca raj tru,tions of Zhang Tshelpa (zhang-
and others he receIved the of ns tshal-pa'i gdams-skor); the Gwdance on t
Path according to Gotsangpa
h m one
;
Longcen Rapjampa 577
578 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Longcen Rapjampa 579
skor) and the Doctrinal Cycle of Kharak (kha-rag chos-skor), as well as the Ocean ofMeans for Attainment (sgrub-thabs rgya-mtsho, T 3400-644), the Hundred Brief Doctrines (chos-chung brgya-rtsa, T 4465-567), the
Transmissions of the Vinaya, and a great many others.
Longcenpa studied many transmitted doctrines under lord Rangjung Dorje, including the Six-limbed Yoga and its Means to Remove Obstacles (sbyor-drug gegs-sel dang bcas-pa); the Six Doctrines ofNaropa, the Intro- duction to the Three Bodies (sku-gsum ngo-sprod), Jinasagara (rgyal-ba rgya-mtsho), Avalokitesvara according to the Tradition of the King (spyan-
ras-gzigs rgyal-po-lugs), Guhyasamaja, the Sampura Tantra (T 381), the Mahamaya, and the forms of Red and Black Yamari (T 468-70). Under master Wangtstil he studied the Six-limbed Yoga, the 0cf4iyana Tradition ofRitual Service and Attainment (bsnyen-sgrub, i. e. o-rgyan bsnyen-sgrub),
teachings on vital energy (rlung-skor), and many others as well. Under
658
Lama Tampa [Sonam Gyeltsen] of Sakya
found doctrines of the Sakyapa, including the Great Development of the Enlightened Mind (sems-bskyed chen-mo), and the Path and Fruit. Under Zhondor of Shuksep-ri, a disciple in the line of the three famous gurus
of the lineage of Pacification - namely, Ma [Choki Sherap], So[-cung Gendtinbar], and Kam [Yeshe Gyeltsen]659 - he studied the Three Doha Cycles (do-ha skor-gsum), the Three Cycles on Retreat Practice (ri-chos skor-gsum), and the Hundred Causal Relations (rten-'brel brgya-rtsa).
In short, Longcenpa comprehended most of the philosophical and spiritual systems that were known in the land of snow mountains. He developed an unobstructed facility for explanation, disputation, and composition. Thus, he thoroughly mastered all the branches of conven- tional science [i. e. grammar, logic, etc. ], the textual traditions of the
sl1tras and of the way of mantras, the cycles of esoteric instruction, and
so forth.
Then, because in general he was endowed with boundless sorr? w
and disillusionment at the condition of the world, he resolved to hve in solitude. Seeing the partisan behaviour and misconduct of the Khampa scholars66o at his college Longcenpa became disgusted and decided to go off to live as a mendicant free from worldly cares. The
preceptor and students, who perceived the rare incisiveness of this holy
man could not bear it and earnestly tried to delay his departure. But " 661
he set out undeterred. Near the reliquary of the great translator Ngok,
he met an inquisitive monk who sought to delay him further. Longcenpa disclosed the nature of his distress and the monk also complained of the behaviour of the Khampa scholars. The monk encouraged him and said, "Now that you have left the college and there is no limitation on your ability as an author, you should publicise the infamy of the Kham-
pas. " For amusement Longcenpa filled a small page, which the monk carried and attached to the throne in the teaching court. When the Khampas noticed it they removed the letter from sight,. but the thirty-
line alphabetical poem, beginning with the line, "Like the ogres who roam in Kalinga. . . ," circulated all over the kingdom. 662
Longcenpa then wandered about without direction, and devoted him- self exclusively to practice. When he had practised yoga in darkness for five months in the Gyamei Cokla Cave, he heard the music of cymbals and melodious song. When a visible manifestation arose, he saw that it was a girl of sixteen years, robed in a train of silk, adorned with gold and turquoise ornaments. She rode upon a horse covered with leather mail that was adorned with bells, and her own face was concealed by a golden veil. He clasped the hem of her dress and prayed, "Please bless me, sublime one! " She removed a crown of precious gems from her head and placed it upon the head of the all-knowing one, saying, "From now on I shall always bless you, and bestow accomplish- ment on you. " Longcenpa remained immersed for a long while in a blissful, radiant, non-discursive contemplation. This was an auspicious sign that he would encounter a doctrine associated with the esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection.
Then, in his twenty-ninth year, he went to meet the genuine guru Kumaradza, who was residing in the uplands of Yartokyam at Samye during the spring and summer seasons. Ort the way he met Yakde Pa1). cen,663 who urged him to approach His Presence, the Karmapa, but Longcenpa continued his journey without paying attention. In the uplands of YarWkyam he met the awareness-holder Kumaradza, who lived with his group of disciples in about seventy fabric wind-breaks. The master said to them, "Last night I dreamt that a wonderful bird, which announced itself to be a divine bird, came with a large flock in attendance, and carried away my books in all directions. Therefore, someone will come to hold my lineage. " He was utterly delighted.
At the same time Longcenpa was abjectly sad, because he had no tribute to offer for the doctrine. He thought, "I should not approach the guru without some tribute for the doctrine. As I have none, I should be ashamed to move on during the daytime, so I will go to the lower part of this valley at dawn tomorrow. " But the guru, who knew of his thoughts by supernormal cognitive powers, told [his disciples] that Longcenpa was blameless, for he had offered his tribute inwardly. Two of them repeated this to Longcenpa, who greatly rejoiced.
To arouse disillusionment [towards the world] in his disciples, the awareness-holder Kumaradza had no fixed home. During the spring and summer of that year he wandered nine times from one deserted valley to the next. Because it seemed as if they had to move just as they had made camp, Longcenpa could obtain neither food nor clo- With the change of seasons he was completely worn ;ut by the bItter cold and the icy terrain; and he survived for two months on nothing but three measures of flour and twenty-one mercury pills. Then, when the snow fell he lived inside a sack garment which served
he studied the many pro-
580 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Longcen Rapjampa 581
both as a robe, and as a bed.
In these and other ways he endured inconceivable austerity for the sake of the doctrine.
That year he obtained the empowerments, guidance and instructions
on the Great Perfection, the secret Innermost Spirituality, and then he
meditated upon it.
The next year Kumaradza filled him, as if he were a vase, with higher
empowerments and with the tantras, transmissions, and esoteric instruc- tions of the Three Classes of the Great Perfection, along with the rites of the protectors of the doctrine. He was appointed to be the successor to the teaching, and vowed to practise [in retreat] for six years.
In his thirty-first year Longcenpa guided many fortunate beings to spiritual maturation and liberation at Nyipu Shl! ,ksep, by of the Innermost Spirituality. At that time a yogin, Ozer Koca, dIscovered the text of the Innennost Spirituality of the l)akinf after great trials; and he offered it to Longcenpa to examine. Simultaneously, Longcenpa received the book in a dream from [the protectress] Shenpa Sokdrupma
(Butcher Life-grantress). . .
The following year, his thirty-second, while he was practIsmg at Rimochen in Chimpu, he gave teaching of the Innermost Spirituality to eight fortunate yogins and yoginIs. When he conferred the blessing
of the elaborate empowerment one yoginI was possessed by the protectress of mantra; and she began to dance. The other disciples could not bear her radiance, but the guru said, "You need not worry because she is possessed by a <;lakin! . As I am a yogin who has realised that mind and appearances are of the same savour, no obstacles will come of it. "
Then the yoginI bowed before the guru. Gazing upon the maJ). <;lala, she said, "Why is there no peacock quill? "
Longcenpa replied, "I have visualised it mentally. "
"In this symbolic doctrine, what has that got to do with it? " With that question, she removed the vase's supporting platform and set down three vases fastened together. The master then performed the ceremony in perfect detail and she clasped her hands together and her approval. When he omitted the final letter s from the word rzgs, and pronounced it as rik, she said, "No, no! You should say while he was reciting the mantra, she said, "You should ImItate me,
and she sang it in a strange, harmonious melody in the <;lakinIs' language. During the actual ground or main part of the empowerment, the yoginI sang a song about view and meditation which are beyond the
range of intellectual appraisal:
Mind free from meditation is joyful.
Mind free from meditation - Oh my! it is happy.
Saying that the offerings were of poor quality and insufficient, . she offered, instead, her melodious song. And during the feast offenng,
when nectar was offered to the guru, she said, "This is a sacrament of the <;lakinIs. You must take it, by all means. " And she invited him to drink it all.
At that time, the group of disciples also became exhilarated and they began to sing and to dance. They attained one-pointed absorption in inner radiance, which transcends ordinary sleep,665 and they could actually see the forms of various warriors, gakinIs, and protectors of the doctrine. A black woman appeared and said, "The first fruits of the offering of barley flour have diminished. " And the oath-bound Dorje Lekpa appeared in the form of a white man who said, "There is no red ornament [i. e. meat] on my tonna. "
Como Dangla came in the guise of a white man riding on a white horse, desirous of a tonna offering, but he declined the red tonna offered to him. A host of <;lakinIs raised a parasol above Longcenpa and cir- cumambulated him uttering such fearsome sounds as HOM and PHAT in a tumultuous uproar. And many other inconceivable miracles also took place. One yogin remarked, "Tonight heaven and earth are re- versed. No doubt they're after flesh and blood! " And he was terrified.
In the same way, the protectors Ode Kungyel, Nyencen Thangla, and the seven Menmo sisters came to take their tonna offerings. 666 Then VajravarahI actually appeared, her blue body adorned with precious gems and bone ornaments. At that time there was an exchange of questions. She said, "This is a wild night. I have come to spy on the worthy disciples. How is the health ofyour holy guru [Kumaradza]? "
"This year his health almost failed. Now what will happen? "
VajravarahI replied, "How can obstacles come to an emanation of a buddha? The obstacles are the expression of his intention on behalf of his disciples. Do you not know that he is Vimalamitra, returned to Tibet? "
Longcenpa asked, "How long will he live? "
"Until the next year of the sheep. After that, whether he lives or not will depend on his disciples. "
"But have I not been urged by guru Kumaradza to help others? " "Yes, indeed! "
"If I practise the means for attainment in solitude will I achieve the
body of light? If I help others instead, then how much will I benefit sentient beings? And how long can I live? "
"Even though you achieve the body of light, you must help sentient beings. Serve others and you can live for thirty more years! "
Then the guru asked, "Who are the protectors of my transmitted precepts? "
"There are a great many. All those of the guru are yours, especially Dorje Yudronma. Accordingly, the quarter in which you are to serve the world is in the south-west. In your next life your service to the world will be even greater than it is in the present one. ,,667
582 History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
"Well", he asked, "is that owing to the teaching of the Innermost
Spirituality of the /)akinz? Is it all right to confer its empowerment and guidance? "
"Oh, yes indeed, yes indeed! There will be absolutely no error. You
are certainly the master of this doctrine. "
"But then will people not think that I am a hypocrite [for openly
granting the secret teaching]? "
"Why pay attention to slander? I myself will assemble the worthy
ones. The unworthy, after all, slander even the Buddha. "
Then he asked, "Should I reveal the transmitted doctrines of the
Innermost Spirituality in the domain of Dorje Yudronma? "
"Because the qakinIs naturally assemble here, this is where you should
reveal the teaching. "
Then she made a clear prophetic declaration regarding the treasure
troves in Bumthang. 668 Afterwards, he asked, "Will I meet the great
master Padmasambhava? "
"In the uplands of three valleys, in the lowlands of three mountains,
and in the right-hand corner of a small cave facing west; there you shall meet him. "
"When will I meet Vimalamitra? " he asked.
669 "You have already met him," she answered.
"Is the view that I have realised the ultimate intention ofthe Innermost
Spirituality? "
"There can be no error with respect to the ultimate," she replied.
Then master Rindor [who was one of those present] asked, "Where
is Pangangpa Rincen Dorje? ,,670
VajravarahI pointed her finger at Longcenpa and said, "Here he is! "
But Longcenpa objected, "His next life was to have been in Bum-
thang. How can I be he? "
"That is so, but he has not been born thus; for it became necessary
for him to explore the field of the buddha-body of perfect rapture in the meantime. After the master Rincen Dorje discovered his treasures he was to practise for some years in secret. Had he done so, he would have mastered, for his own sake, the inner radiance that is the buddha-
body of perfect rapture; and he would have been of great service to others. But, because he did not maintain secrecy, he did not live out his full span. Now that he has been born as yourself, the manifestation of
inner radiance that you have integrated into your practice of the path is that brief exploration of the field of the buddha-body of perfect rapture. " Then Longcenpa asked, "Will my body vanish without a trace? "
"You could achieve that right now ifyou were to meditate in solitude, but if you serve others you will be liberated during the intermediate state. Your emanation will take birth in Bumthang and will serve others.
H e , m o r e o v e r , w i l l j o u r n e y t o t h e w e s t e r n l a n d o f O q Q i y a n a a n d r e v e a l the attainment of buddhahood. " .
Longcen Rapjampa 583
"Which he asked, "will be more beneficial for me . thel I7nnge)rmost Spzrztuality of Vimalamitra (bi-ma'i snying-thig Vo s. - or that of the DakinZ? " ,
ale The Vimalamitra tradition will be widespread da un re years, and the Innermost Spirituality of the Dakinf will
en ure for five hundred years, beginning today ,,671 . After th. at Longcenpa also became exhilarated·and he arose H
a song of mdestructible reality, which ended as' follows:
This life is bliss and the next will be h
Blish . f appy.
A ; as ansen rom the intermediate state!
n now: to greater blIss still will I pass.
I offer. thls song, 0 Three Precious Jewels! Be delIghted! Rejoice! you host of qakinIs!
. e sang
[When he had finished singing]
able host of qakinls, all of whom
perceIved hIm, then, to be transformed into the buddha-bod rapture for some time.
radiant and he wore a silk cloak and soft hat
. l e o a young antelope. He was surrounded by an infinitel and was seen to vanish into the guru himsel fro t ieakln! S weanng bone ornaments, who were flying to and
d
t edshY' honoured hIm. Three dark brown women began to ance, an t ey sang:
we have arrived, arrived from the land of great bliss e have come to spy on your worthy disciples .
We have come to inspect the purity of May you benefit the world, 0 enlightened son! .
Longcenpa was making the inner offering, the great
VajravarahI Vimalamitra h. is right, and . h ere were many dakmIs blo .
ontIg-bonetrumpets Andbh. . . , h
wmg ade ts h . . hIm were numerous mantra
dressed in golden robes, who and sang songs of indestructible of the assembly the guru rose
Be j? yful . and happy, all of you yogins. Tomght, m the pure Akanistha realm
. . ,
In bd
Thmy 0 y, a palace of gods peaceful and wrathful
T h : ° d f t h e e m p t y a n d r a d i a n t , u a wells not outSIde, but within!
f·
CY yo peflect
584 And:
History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
o meditator who abides in mind alone,
Let your mind be at rest, not grasping one point;
For mind is empty when it proliferates, empty at rest: Whatever arises is pristine cognition's play.
Longcen Rapjampa 585
"I am not pleased with their methods of teaching. Even a clay pot has [a handle],674 but that is not enough. It must also have an owner. "
"And what about the treasure discovered by Rincen Lingpa? "
"Oh, that exists, to be sure. But it is not pure [i. e. not the pure Innermost Spirituality]. "
"How is it that I have realised you, without meditating upon you? "
"Am I a deity upon whom you must meditate? Have I a mantra you must recite? Am I an object of worship? Do you not know that I am ever present before all yogins who observe their commitments and who have realisation? Throughout all your lives, I have neither been with, nor without you. "
Then he asked, "Where are the riches of the Princess,675 that are said to be concealed in Chimpu? "
"They are on a crag, shaped like an offering of divine foodstuffs, but with the top cut off. The time has not yet come for their revelation. "
"When will the treasures of Vimalamitra be discovered? "
"Five years from now they will be discovered and propagated by a mantra adept dressed in white. The four profound volumes will come into your hands. ,,676
It was on the eleventh day ofthe bright halfofthe month that Longcenpa sent the yogin Ozer Koca to bring the books [ofthe Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)iikinf]. On his return journey an aura ofrainbow light permeated and surrounded them. In particular, during the night of his arrival at Chukpo Trak, near the Stone Stl1pas of Zurkardo, all the yogins and yoginls saw auras offive-coloured rainbow light all the way from there to Rimochen.
Longcenpa performed a feast offering, the rites for the fulfilment of
commitments, and so forth, and then opened the door of the esoteric
instructions of the Innermost Spirituality of the I)iikinz. The best of
gurus, meditational deities and 9akinls blessed him so as to disclose
fully to his mind the great way in which the [ultimate] essence abides,
which cannot be even partially described by the well-known and popular
jargon that refers to inner radiance, such as that from the manifestation
of that inner radiance by night the intention of the body of reality
merges with the primordially pure expanse; that the body of perfect
rapture arises as its manifest expression; and that the emanational body
and the six realms of existence arise separately from its outward
At that time the white goddess, Dorje Y udronma, arrived with her seven sisters and asked him to visit her domain. "I want to live forever in your domain," said Longcenpa.
"I would rejoice if you were to live there forever, but it seems you will not stay beyond mid-winter. "
He then asked, "Why have you come to me? "
"I was bound under an oath of allegiance by the guru Padmasam- bhava. I come in the wake of his treasures. "
"But the treasures are yonder, and the adepts who discovered them have passed away. What will you achieve here? "
"The treasures are yonder, but the meaning is here. Though you passed away before, your good fortune did not pass away. Therefore, I have come. The protectors of the transmitted precepts have made a prediction that, because the instructions are very powerful, you are in danger of obstacles to your life. It will be better if you give guidance on them only a little. "
He asked, "Will the written texts of the treasures come into my
possession? "
"Yes, yes. We will keep it in mind. Do you not remember the
accomplishment I bestowed upon you in Uru? "
He recalled the past incident at the Cokla Cave and said, "Then, are
you not Dorje Yudronma? "
"No, no. I am VajravarahI. Did you not recognise me? I require two
forms, so that I can perform enlightened activities by this mundane body and confer supreme accomplishment in my transcendent form. "
Then Longcenpa asked, "Here, where the seminal point is the foremost teaching, the third empowerment is conferred with the assist- ance of a partner. 672 Why is that? "
"It is necessary for introducing those of great desire to the path. For those without desire it is sufficient to confer it only mentally. "
"During the bestowal of the introduction [to reality],673 what is t. he significance ofthe words absorption ofthought in the unborn and absorptzon of intellect in the unaccountable? "
"What is the use of causing the stabilisation of thought? Introduce
the vast and open expanse, which has been liberated from the very
beginning. "
"Very well, but many expositors ofthis Innermost Spirituality have ap-
Peared. There are those who grant the transmission which is like the
h · handle, for exampIe Karmapa and Rincen Lingpa. Why should I teac It.
677
Thus, the 9akinls caused him to see nakedly that which
radiance.
was introduced.
At that time, when the texts for the esoteric instructions of the Further Innermost Spirituality ofthe NYZ Vols.
