His
emanation
was Trhisong
Detsen.
Detsen.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
e.
realisation.
Interpreted according to the oral commentary of Ttilku
The nucleus or awareness which is reality'S expanse anses as a senes of seminal points of light which are known as indestructible chains (of light). When this expanse is fully mature, the three world realms
dissolve into inner radiance.
For the channels and vital energy within the body, see the
of Enumerations under ten kinds o f vital energy and six centres formmg the "upper door" of the body. See also the disussion in Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 453fL (GGFTC, pp.
1006fL); and in Jamgon Kongtrtil, shes-bya kun-khyab mdzod, Vol. 2, pp. 631-45.
See n. 151 above.
The forehead centre corresponds to the god realms, the throat centre
Fundamentals: Part Four 23
24 Notes
whom see also History, pp. 452-4.
335 Tib. yig. The text wrongly reads yid. .
336 On the distinction between the Being of Commitment and the BeIng
of Pristine Cognition, see n. 239 above.
337 Tib. sangs-rgyas sa. Compare the identical passage above on p.
At this point, our text reads sangs-rgyas-pa. The former, however, IS
preferred by the Author.
338 The symbolic implements of
to purify obscurations respectIvely Into AmIta. b? a s pnstIne of discernment, Amoghasiddhi's pristine cogmtIon of accomplIshment and Vairocana's pristine cognition of reality's expanse. These and preceding two are all aspects of the outer vase empowerment (phyz bum-pa'i dbang). See also n. 333 above. .
339 Tib. rdo-rje 'chang-sar. Compare the same verse CIted above on p. 272. Here the text reads rdo-rje 'chang-bar.
340 The sixth empowerment is known as that of the master or that of the irreversible vase, which seals the previous five and so confers the ability to transmit the teaching. Refer also to n. 333 above. .
341 Unidentified. Perhaps he is Lenton Sakya Zangpo. Refer to Hzstory, p. 640. .
342 Garap Dorje was the first human preceptor of the Great PerfectIon. See History, pp. 490-3. The prefix ru means "first" or "predecessor", and in this case indicates his primacy in the lineage (Khenpo Palden Sherap).
343 These are two of the four "pillars" who were students of Zurcungpa. See History, pp. 640ff.
344 Kyo Kongbupa was also among the four "pillars"; History, pp. 640ff.
345 History, p. 622. .
346 See n. 333 above. The conferral of these four empowerments, begIn-
ning with the common vase empowerment, is held to result in the maturation respectively of the emanational body, the body of perfect rapture, the body of reality and the essential body. . .
347 These include ten aspects of beneficence and five of abIlIty. See L o n g c e n p a , D i s p e l l i n g D a r k n e s s i n t h e T e n p p . 3 7 2 - 9 (GGFTC, pp. 871-81); and the Glossary of EnumeratIons underfifteen ordinary sacraments (of empowerment).
348 Tib. grol-phyir-du. Compare the same passage on p. 249. Here the text reads grol-phyir las, but the former readIng IS preferred.
349 See the Glossary of Enumerations under twenty-eight commitments of Mahayoga.
350 This is Vimalamitra's commentary on the Root Tantra of the Secret
.
351 Examples of such practices are the ceremonies for the commemoratIon of Padmasambhava on the tenth day (tshes-bcu), and for the commem-
oration of the dakinls on the twenty-fifth day (nyer-Inga).
352 Tib. sgroI, Skt. · tana, according to the (Skt. san- refers to the rites of forceful lIberatIon . Tib. sb;:or, Skt. ga1Ja, according to the secret language, refers to sexual practIces. See
above, pp. 292-3. .
353 Tib. brgyad-brgya so-gcig. The text wrongly reads brgyad-brgya-po-gczg. See Jamgon Kongtrtil, shes-bya kun-khyab mdzod, Vol. 2, pp. 748-9.
354 355
356
Fundamentals: Conclusion 25
The seals connected with the deity in Yogatantra and Mahayoga are here contrasted with those of Anuyoga, which take immediate effect. This empowerment is the initial entrance into the Great Perfection. For its subdivisions, refer to Longcenpa, Treasury of Spiritual and
Philosophical Systems, pp. 370-2; and to History, p. 501.
These terms have a specific meiming in the context of Atiyoga, as by Longcenpa in The Treasury of the Abiding Nature of Realuy (gnas-Iugs rin-po-che'i mdzod), and are, of course, unconnected with the mundane views of apathy and nihilism, for which the same
terms are applied in Tibetan (i. e. phyal-pa and med-pa).
FUNDAMENTALS: CONCLUSION
357
358
359
360 361 362
On Locen DharmasrI, see History, pp. 728-31; on Gyurme Tshewang Chokdrup, p. 736; on Jamgon Kongtriil, pp. 859-68; on Dodrup Jikme Tenpei Nyima, p. 879; and on Zhecen Gyeltsap, pp. 879 and 919. These scriptures are partly enumerated in History, p. 591. For an
enumeration of the Seven [Great] Treasuries (mdzod-bdun) of
Longcenpa, refer to the first part of the Bibliography.
This is the Four-Part Innermost Spirituality (snying-thig ya-bzhi) which
was redacted by Longcenpa. See History, pp. 554-96, for the background to this tradition.
This is a metaphor for the violation of the commitment not to divulge the secret teachings to an unsuitable recipient.
The personal names of the Author which are built into the structure of the verse introduce the Colophon.
The sponsor was one Ngawang Samdrup of Tingri who received the name Pelhiin Yiilgyel in a dream (Lama Sonam Topgyel).
2 History
HISTORY: INTRODUCTORY VERSES
363 This refers to the fundamental Buddhist view of dependent origination (rten-cing 'brel-bar 'byung-ba, Skt. pratftyasamutpada), the Nyingmapa interpretation of which is summarised in Fundamentals, pp. 54-7. The verse as a whole is addressed to the Buddha, the first of the Three Precious Jewels.
364 Concerning the transmission or scriptural authorisation (lung, Skt. agama) of the true doctrine and its realisation (rtogs-pa, Skt. adhigama), the Treasury of the Abhidharma (Ch. 8, v. 39cd) says:
The two kinds of the Teacher's true doctrine Are transmission and realisation.
For their divisions and subdivisions, see Fundamentals, pp. 72ff.
365 I. e. the sarrzgha, the spiritual community which maintains the Buddha's
teaching.
366 The intricate metaphysical and cosmological doctrine upon which this
verse is based is discussed at length in Fundamentals, Pt. 2. For the various lineages referred to in the last line, see below, pp. 447-57 and 775.
367 For the various divine manifestations of the Teacher alluded to here, see below, pp. 447-50.
368 The epithet "Lord of the W orId" or LokeSvara ('jigs-rten dbang-phyug) is here a title indicating that Songtsen Gampo is the emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. See also n. 12.
369 The Land of Snows is Tibet, which is referred to as a frontier, or land beyond the pale (mtha'-khob), in its relation to Buddhist India prior to the beginnings of Buddhism in Tibet.
370 The Lord of SukhavatI Field is Buddha Amitabha. His special realm, the "Pure Land" revered in East Asian Buddhism, is richly described in the Sanskrit Sukhavatfvyilhasiltra, for an English translation of which, see SBE, Vol. 49, Pt. 2, pp. 1-107. According to the teachings of the vehicle of indestructible reality (Vajrayana), Amitabha's seed- syllable is HRIH.
371 "Skull-garlanded Master" refers to Padmasambhava in the form of Perna Thotrengtsel (padma thod-phreng-rtsal).
28 Notes
History: Part One 29 bhiivaniimarga) and no-more-Iearning (mi-slob-pa'i lam, Skt. asaiksa-
miirga). For their relationship to the ten levels according to the see Fundamentals, pp. 281-3; and fortheir distinctive attributes, p. 236. For a different reading of this verse, which better agrees with the extant Sanskrit text, see Fundamentals, p. 231. Refer, too, to R. Klop- penborg, The Paccekabuddha, for a detailed study of the self-centred buddha based pre-eminently on the texts of the Theravadin tradition.
A detailed explanation of this phrase may be found in L. de La Vallee Poussin, L'Abhidharmakosa de Vasubandhu, Vol. III, pp. 252-3.
The tenth level, Cloud of Doctrine, is the highest traversed by bodhisattvas. See Glossary of Enumerations under ten levels; and also Dayal, The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Sanskrit Buddhist Literature, pp. 270-91.
On the heaven, see pp. 447-9; also Fundamentals, p. 129; and the chart on pp. 14-15.
On the contemplation of nothing at all, see Fundamentals, p. 62. The expression "non-dual" (gnyis-med, Skt. advaya) in this context should be understood to refer to the absence of the subject-object dichotomy characteristic of mundane consciousness. It is not, however, synonymous with the Vedantic term advaita, which refers to an abso- lute monism, i. e. the doctrine that there is but a single substance. Alternatively, it may refer here to the non-duality of the experiences of profundity and clarity.
Concerning the Point of Enlightenment (bodhima'f}cja), refer to Funda- mentals, p. 115 and n. 110, for an explanation of its outer, inner and secret meanings.
The Pure Abode (suddhaniviisa) comprises the five highest form realms, known in ascending order as Avrha, Atapa, Sudrsa, Sudarsana and For their position within the whole structure of the three world realms of saqlsara and the realisation attained by their occupants, see Fundamentals, p. 62; and the chart on pp. 14-15. 'du-'bral-med-pa. This phrase denotes an identity relation, its terms being neither united through artificial conjunction, nor capable of separation.
Further information on the Six Sages Embodying Awareness will be found in Fundamentals, pp. 129ff. ; and in the Glossary of Enumera- tions.
"Both goals" are the two kinds of benefit, i. e. to oneself and to others (rang-don and gzhan-don).
Among these forms of the emanational buddha-body (nirmii'f}akiiya), those of artistry comprise created emanations (bzo-ba'i sprul-sku) which manifest as images, books and other beneficial objects; those of birth (skye-ba'i sprul-sku) include sentient beings of all types who work for the benefit of others; and the supreme emanations (mchog-gi sprul-sku) are Sakyamuni and other buddhas who perform the twelve deeds for the sake of living creatures.
The following account is ultimately derived from canonical sources, the first and foremost being the Sutra ofExtensive Play. Contemporary discussions of the Buddha's life, based on both literary and archaeolo- gical evidence, are too numerous to survey here. See HBI, pp. 13-25 and the sources mentioned therein. Chief among the post-1958 re-
372 373
374
375
The Sakya King is Sakyamuni Buddha.
The Lord of Secrets is Vajrapal). i in the form of Guhyapati. See pp. 451-7. is regarded as his emanation. . The sceptre is the sword symbolising discriminative awareness whICh is held by the bodhisattva MaiijusrI.
His emanation was Trhisong
Detsen.
The indestructible lineage of supreme transformation refers to the
supreme masters who become accomplished in rainbow. through the esoteric instructions of All-Surpassmg RealIsatIon (thod-rgal) according to the Great Perfection. See Fundamentals, pp. 337-45.
383
384 385
386
387 388
389
390
391
392
393 394
395
HISTORY: PART ONE
376
The world of Patient Endurance (mi-mjed 'jig-rten-gyi khams, Skt. Sahalokadhatu), is the thirteenth among twenty-five world said to be resting one above the other on the palms of Valrocana Buddha' there are five world realms focused in each of his five centres buddha-body, speech, mind, enlightened attributes activities. Counting upwards from Vairocana's secret centre the thIr- teenth or world of Patient Endurance lies at the heart of Vairocana's mind (thugs-kyi thugs). It contains the four continents ofVideha in the
377
378
3713
380
381 382
east, Jambudvlpa in the south, Godanlya in the west and 3
in the north, all together multiplied one billion times (1000 ), three phases which are known respectively as the chiliocosI? (stong kyi 'jig-rten-gyi khams), the dichiliocosm bar-ma 1 }lg-, rten-gyi khams) and the great trichiliocosm (stong-gsum-gyl stongchen-po'l 'jig-rten-gyi khams, Skt. trisahasramahiisahasralokadhiitu). See Funda- mentals, pp. 130-1; and Kloetzli, Buddhist 2-4. . The Jambu or rose-apple tree (Eugenia Jambolana) IS umque to thIS continent according to all major Indian religious traditions. See W.
Kirfel, Symbolik des Hinduismus und des Jinismus, pp. . 81 and 130. For a general account of the Buddhist concept of cosmIC aeons (bskal- pa, Skt. kalpa), see Kloetzli, Buddhist Cosmology, pp. 73-6. Most aeons are not graced by the presence of even a single buddha and so are "dark ages" (mun-bskal). Ours, however, with its thousand buddhas is so fortunate as to have been named the "Auspicious Aeon" (bskal-pa
bzang-po, Skt. Bhadrakalpa) by the gods themselves. Cf. Peltrtil Rin- poche, The WOrds ofMy Perfect Teacher, pp. 25-8.
Sakyamuni Buddha is the fourth supreme emanational body to appear during this aeon. The previous three were Buddhas Krakucchandra,
Kanaka and Kasyapa.
The basic doctrines of this school are described in
pp. 156-7. For a historical survey, see A. K. Warder, Indian Buddhlsm, pp. 341-7 and passim.
See n. 109 above.
The path of provisions (tshogs-lam, Skt. is first among
the five paths of a bodhisattva's progress towards The others are the paths of connection (sbyor-lam, Skt. prayogamarga), insight (mthong-lam, Skt. darsanamiirga), meditation (bsgom-lam, Skt.
30 Notes
searches are the several volumes of A. Bareau's Recherches sur la Bio-
408 On Rahu, the eclipser of the moon, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons of Tibet, pp. 259-63; and A. L. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 49l.
409 The "impure religion of Magadha" is, of course, the Brahmanism of the Buddha's day. While maintaining that this religion does not provide an ultimately salvific vehicle, Buddhists do not deny its many positive teachings. See, e. g. , Fundamentals, pp. 57-62.
410 Corruptions (zag-pa, Skt. iisrava) comprise all those propensities which serve to sustain the round of sarpsara. In attaining nirvaJ),a, these are exhausted (zad); but, in addition, the Buddha knows directly that they have been completely exhausted.
411 "Long-living" (tshe-dang ! dan-pa, Skt. implies that one is still bound to the cyclical existence of samsara and so is not a realised buddha. .
412 Refer here to the Glossary of Enumerations under four truths.
413 For a more detailed account of the subject-matter of the three wheels of the doctrine than will be found in the present summary, see Funda- mentals, Pt. 3. See also Lessing and Wayman, Mkhas grub rje's Funda-
mentals of the Buddhist Tantras, pp. 43-53.
414 Vulture Peak is near Rajagrha (modern Rajgir) in Bihar,
north India.
415 The teaching of path and result is that which leads out of cyclical
existence or sarpsara. It refers to the five paths (see n. 382 above) and the corresponding results which are attained by arhats, self-centred buddhas or bodhisattvas; see Fundamentals, pp. 223ff.
416 These are, primanly, the eight great fears, on which see the Glossary of Enumerations.
417 KusinagarI, in the Buddha's day within the domains of the Mallas, is identified with modern Kasia, about thirty-five miles to the east of Gorakhpur in north India.
418 The so-called extremist (mu-stegs) or non-Buddhist doctrines are dealt with generally in Fundamentals, pp. 62-9.
419 AvIci is held to be the lowest and most unbearable of the hellish domains, occupied by sentient beings at the bottom of samsara. See the chart on pp. 14-15; also sGam-po-pa, The Jewel of Lib- eration, p. 58.
420 Udumbara here refers to a large and rare mythical lotus, which blossoms only once in an age.
421 On the traditions relative to these original reliquaries, refer to HBI, pp. 24-5; and Bareau, Recherches sur la Biographie du Buddha, 11. 11, pp. 308-23.
422 These three councils are considered in HBI, pp. l36-54 and 297-319. For the first council in particular, the standard work is J. Przyluski, Le Concile de Rajagr:ha; and, for the second, M. Hofinger, Etude sur Ie Concile de Vaisalr. Cf. also Lessing and Wayman, Mkhas grub rje's Fundamentals of the Buddhist Tantras, pp. 59-69; and J. Nattier and C. Prebish, "Mahasanghika Orgins: The Beginnings of Buddhist Sec- tarianism" in History of Religions, Vol. 16, no. 3 (1977).
423 Our interpretation of the terse mnemonic given here is based on the discussion of the heresy found in Minor Transmissions T 6), in the Derge Kangyur, Vol. Da, pp. 646-63. We are indebted
396 397
398 399
400
401 402
graphie du Buddha.
On the purificatory fast, see Fundamentals, p. . . Buddha Aksobhyavajra, according to the tradltIons of the vehIcle of indestructibie reality, is particularly associated with the vase empow- erment, for which reason he is especially referred to here on the
sion of the Bodhisattva's consecratory bath. Some of the sYI? bolIc significance of this for of the of indestructible reality has been mdicated m R. A. F. Thurman s artIcle, "Tson-kha-pa's Integration ofSiitra and Tantra" in STC, PP: 372. -82. The siitras of the greater vehicle frequently give the name m thIS form
instead of the more familiar "Siddhartha". . .
The suffering of change, the all-pervading suffering. of existence and the suffering of pain itself are the three kmds of suffermg to which all samsara is subject. For a detailed discussion, see, e. g. ,
sGam-po-pa, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, pp. 55ff.
According to HBI, p. 346, this incident. occurred near east of Kapilavastu. Khetsun Zangpo however mforms us of a contemporary Indian view that the Sacred Stiipa (mchod-rten rnam- dag) was situated near Mankapur in . .
The pinnacle or summit of existence IS explamed m Fundamentals,
p. 62. . h· h The realm of desire ('dod-pa'i khams, Skt. kiimadhatu) IS that w IC
comprises the five lower classes of sentient beings and the lowest levels of the gods known in ascending order as the realms the Four Great Kings (Caturmahiiriijakiiyika), the heaven of (Trayatri1[lsa), the Strifeless (Yiima), the Joyful . DelIghtmg Emanation (NirmiilJarati) and Mastery over TransformatIons (Paranzr-
mitavasavartin). For their position within the three world realms of
samsara and the realisation acquired by their inhabitants, see Funda-
pp. 61-2; and the chart on pp. 14-15.
On great loving kindness (byams,-pa chen-po), see Fundamentals,
403
p. 88.
404
405
406
407
"Five-arrowed One" (mda'-lnga, Skt. Paficasara) and Smara (dran-pa, lit. "Memory") are both epithets of Kamadeva or Mara, the lord of the desire realm. His emblem is the crocodile banner.
PundarIka (pad-dkar-ma), Menaka (me-na-kii) , (legs-brgya. n-
ma) ·and Ke§amisra (skra-'dres-ma) are four of the thIrteen courtesans (lha'i smad-'tshong-ma bcu-gsum), also known as offenng goddesses (mchod-pa'i lha-mo). Others are sh! ng-rta-ma, glog- 'od-can, chu-shing bri-can, thig-le mchog-ma or Tilottama, legs-bzang-ma, ma-nyang skyes-ma, a-lam bu-sha or skad-legs-ma and rab-
in the quotation cited in Fundamentals, p. 61. also the Glossary of Enumerations under four (meditative) concentratlOns.
"Middle way" here refers to the central channel Skt. avadhuti) within the body. All impure psychophYSIcal within the subject-object dichotomy were transformed here mto pns-
tine cognition and the enlightened attributes of the buddhas; see Fundamentals, p. 341.
myos-ma or Pramoda.
The fourth meditative concentration (bsam-gtan bzhz-pa) IS descnbed
. .
.
History: Part One 31
32 Notes
History: Part One 33
424 425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432 433
434 435
436
437
438
439
to Lama Sonam Topgyel for locating this valuable passage.
Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 94.
The major traditions relative to the origins and development of the eighteen schools of the lesser vehicle (Hfnayana) are summarised in HBI, pp. 571-606. The divisions reported in our present text agree with those listed in Sarvastivadin sources.
See Obermiller, History ofBuddhism by Bu-ston, Pt. 2, p. 98. According to the Tibetan Vinaya tradition there were one hundred kings in the dynasty of Nagapala, son of King Gaganapati in Varal)asI. The last of
a buddha refer to the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks. These are listed in, e. g. , Mvt. 236-67,269-349; the Ornament ofEmergent Realisation (AbhisamayalatrZkara), vv. l3-32; and Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 73-6 (GGFTC, pp. 406-9). See also Fundamentals, p. 124; and the Glossary of Enumer- ations.
440 Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 33.
441 On the Trayatrimsa heaven in relation to other divine realms see
n. 402 above. . ,
442 The great Sixteen Elders, and many of the literary and artistic tra- ditions associated with them, are considered extensively in M. W. de Visser, The Arhats in China and Japan; and J. Tate, The Sixteen Elders. While their divine intercession in Chinese life is detailed therein, the basis for associating them with the emperors here mentioned remains obscure. But cf. L. S. Dagyab, Tibetan Religious Art, Pt. I,
Sect. IV.
443 Cf. Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, pp. 29-33.
444 The basic philosophical tenets of this school are summarised in Fun-
damentals, p. 158. For further background, see also Warder, Indian
Buddhism, pp. 345-6, 421-2, 472-3.
445 The Great Treasury ofDetailed Exposition which today
syrvives only in its Chinese translation (Taisho 1545), is assigned by Etienne Lamotte to the second century AD; see HBI, pp. 303-5,424-5, etc. The prolific writings of Nagarjuna are usually assigned to about AD 200, though they may have been composed slightly earlier.
realisation.
Interpreted according to the oral commentary of Ttilku
The nucleus or awareness which is reality'S expanse anses as a senes of seminal points of light which are known as indestructible chains (of light). When this expanse is fully mature, the three world realms
dissolve into inner radiance.
For the channels and vital energy within the body, see the
of Enumerations under ten kinds o f vital energy and six centres formmg the "upper door" of the body. See also the disussion in Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 453fL (GGFTC, pp.
1006fL); and in Jamgon Kongtrtil, shes-bya kun-khyab mdzod, Vol. 2, pp. 631-45.
See n. 151 above.
The forehead centre corresponds to the god realms, the throat centre
Fundamentals: Part Four 23
24 Notes
whom see also History, pp. 452-4.
335 Tib. yig. The text wrongly reads yid. .
336 On the distinction between the Being of Commitment and the BeIng
of Pristine Cognition, see n. 239 above.
337 Tib. sangs-rgyas sa. Compare the identical passage above on p.
At this point, our text reads sangs-rgyas-pa. The former, however, IS
preferred by the Author.
338 The symbolic implements of
to purify obscurations respectIvely Into AmIta. b? a s pnstIne of discernment, Amoghasiddhi's pristine cogmtIon of accomplIshment and Vairocana's pristine cognition of reality's expanse. These and preceding two are all aspects of the outer vase empowerment (phyz bum-pa'i dbang). See also n. 333 above. .
339 Tib. rdo-rje 'chang-sar. Compare the same verse CIted above on p. 272. Here the text reads rdo-rje 'chang-bar.
340 The sixth empowerment is known as that of the master or that of the irreversible vase, which seals the previous five and so confers the ability to transmit the teaching. Refer also to n. 333 above. .
341 Unidentified. Perhaps he is Lenton Sakya Zangpo. Refer to Hzstory, p. 640. .
342 Garap Dorje was the first human preceptor of the Great PerfectIon. See History, pp. 490-3. The prefix ru means "first" or "predecessor", and in this case indicates his primacy in the lineage (Khenpo Palden Sherap).
343 These are two of the four "pillars" who were students of Zurcungpa. See History, pp. 640ff.
344 Kyo Kongbupa was also among the four "pillars"; History, pp. 640ff.
345 History, p. 622. .
346 See n. 333 above. The conferral of these four empowerments, begIn-
ning with the common vase empowerment, is held to result in the maturation respectively of the emanational body, the body of perfect rapture, the body of reality and the essential body. . .
347 These include ten aspects of beneficence and five of abIlIty. See L o n g c e n p a , D i s p e l l i n g D a r k n e s s i n t h e T e n p p . 3 7 2 - 9 (GGFTC, pp. 871-81); and the Glossary of EnumeratIons underfifteen ordinary sacraments (of empowerment).
348 Tib. grol-phyir-du. Compare the same passage on p. 249. Here the text reads grol-phyir las, but the former readIng IS preferred.
349 See the Glossary of Enumerations under twenty-eight commitments of Mahayoga.
350 This is Vimalamitra's commentary on the Root Tantra of the Secret
.
351 Examples of such practices are the ceremonies for the commemoratIon of Padmasambhava on the tenth day (tshes-bcu), and for the commem-
oration of the dakinls on the twenty-fifth day (nyer-Inga).
352 Tib. sgroI, Skt. · tana, according to the (Skt. san- refers to the rites of forceful lIberatIon . Tib. sb;:or, Skt. ga1Ja, according to the secret language, refers to sexual practIces. See
above, pp. 292-3. .
353 Tib. brgyad-brgya so-gcig. The text wrongly reads brgyad-brgya-po-gczg. See Jamgon Kongtrtil, shes-bya kun-khyab mdzod, Vol. 2, pp. 748-9.
354 355
356
Fundamentals: Conclusion 25
The seals connected with the deity in Yogatantra and Mahayoga are here contrasted with those of Anuyoga, which take immediate effect. This empowerment is the initial entrance into the Great Perfection. For its subdivisions, refer to Longcenpa, Treasury of Spiritual and
Philosophical Systems, pp. 370-2; and to History, p. 501.
These terms have a specific meiming in the context of Atiyoga, as by Longcenpa in The Treasury of the Abiding Nature of Realuy (gnas-Iugs rin-po-che'i mdzod), and are, of course, unconnected with the mundane views of apathy and nihilism, for which the same
terms are applied in Tibetan (i. e. phyal-pa and med-pa).
FUNDAMENTALS: CONCLUSION
357
358
359
360 361 362
On Locen DharmasrI, see History, pp. 728-31; on Gyurme Tshewang Chokdrup, p. 736; on Jamgon Kongtriil, pp. 859-68; on Dodrup Jikme Tenpei Nyima, p. 879; and on Zhecen Gyeltsap, pp. 879 and 919. These scriptures are partly enumerated in History, p. 591. For an
enumeration of the Seven [Great] Treasuries (mdzod-bdun) of
Longcenpa, refer to the first part of the Bibliography.
This is the Four-Part Innermost Spirituality (snying-thig ya-bzhi) which
was redacted by Longcenpa. See History, pp. 554-96, for the background to this tradition.
This is a metaphor for the violation of the commitment not to divulge the secret teachings to an unsuitable recipient.
The personal names of the Author which are built into the structure of the verse introduce the Colophon.
The sponsor was one Ngawang Samdrup of Tingri who received the name Pelhiin Yiilgyel in a dream (Lama Sonam Topgyel).
2 History
HISTORY: INTRODUCTORY VERSES
363 This refers to the fundamental Buddhist view of dependent origination (rten-cing 'brel-bar 'byung-ba, Skt. pratftyasamutpada), the Nyingmapa interpretation of which is summarised in Fundamentals, pp. 54-7. The verse as a whole is addressed to the Buddha, the first of the Three Precious Jewels.
364 Concerning the transmission or scriptural authorisation (lung, Skt. agama) of the true doctrine and its realisation (rtogs-pa, Skt. adhigama), the Treasury of the Abhidharma (Ch. 8, v. 39cd) says:
The two kinds of the Teacher's true doctrine Are transmission and realisation.
For their divisions and subdivisions, see Fundamentals, pp. 72ff.
365 I. e. the sarrzgha, the spiritual community which maintains the Buddha's
teaching.
366 The intricate metaphysical and cosmological doctrine upon which this
verse is based is discussed at length in Fundamentals, Pt. 2. For the various lineages referred to in the last line, see below, pp. 447-57 and 775.
367 For the various divine manifestations of the Teacher alluded to here, see below, pp. 447-50.
368 The epithet "Lord of the W orId" or LokeSvara ('jigs-rten dbang-phyug) is here a title indicating that Songtsen Gampo is the emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. See also n. 12.
369 The Land of Snows is Tibet, which is referred to as a frontier, or land beyond the pale (mtha'-khob), in its relation to Buddhist India prior to the beginnings of Buddhism in Tibet.
370 The Lord of SukhavatI Field is Buddha Amitabha. His special realm, the "Pure Land" revered in East Asian Buddhism, is richly described in the Sanskrit Sukhavatfvyilhasiltra, for an English translation of which, see SBE, Vol. 49, Pt. 2, pp. 1-107. According to the teachings of the vehicle of indestructible reality (Vajrayana), Amitabha's seed- syllable is HRIH.
371 "Skull-garlanded Master" refers to Padmasambhava in the form of Perna Thotrengtsel (padma thod-phreng-rtsal).
28 Notes
History: Part One 29 bhiivaniimarga) and no-more-Iearning (mi-slob-pa'i lam, Skt. asaiksa-
miirga). For their relationship to the ten levels according to the see Fundamentals, pp. 281-3; and fortheir distinctive attributes, p. 236. For a different reading of this verse, which better agrees with the extant Sanskrit text, see Fundamentals, p. 231. Refer, too, to R. Klop- penborg, The Paccekabuddha, for a detailed study of the self-centred buddha based pre-eminently on the texts of the Theravadin tradition.
A detailed explanation of this phrase may be found in L. de La Vallee Poussin, L'Abhidharmakosa de Vasubandhu, Vol. III, pp. 252-3.
The tenth level, Cloud of Doctrine, is the highest traversed by bodhisattvas. See Glossary of Enumerations under ten levels; and also Dayal, The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Sanskrit Buddhist Literature, pp. 270-91.
On the heaven, see pp. 447-9; also Fundamentals, p. 129; and the chart on pp. 14-15.
On the contemplation of nothing at all, see Fundamentals, p. 62. The expression "non-dual" (gnyis-med, Skt. advaya) in this context should be understood to refer to the absence of the subject-object dichotomy characteristic of mundane consciousness. It is not, however, synonymous with the Vedantic term advaita, which refers to an abso- lute monism, i. e. the doctrine that there is but a single substance. Alternatively, it may refer here to the non-duality of the experiences of profundity and clarity.
Concerning the Point of Enlightenment (bodhima'f}cja), refer to Funda- mentals, p. 115 and n. 110, for an explanation of its outer, inner and secret meanings.
The Pure Abode (suddhaniviisa) comprises the five highest form realms, known in ascending order as Avrha, Atapa, Sudrsa, Sudarsana and For their position within the whole structure of the three world realms of saqlsara and the realisation attained by their occupants, see Fundamentals, p. 62; and the chart on pp. 14-15. 'du-'bral-med-pa. This phrase denotes an identity relation, its terms being neither united through artificial conjunction, nor capable of separation.
Further information on the Six Sages Embodying Awareness will be found in Fundamentals, pp. 129ff. ; and in the Glossary of Enumera- tions.
"Both goals" are the two kinds of benefit, i. e. to oneself and to others (rang-don and gzhan-don).
Among these forms of the emanational buddha-body (nirmii'f}akiiya), those of artistry comprise created emanations (bzo-ba'i sprul-sku) which manifest as images, books and other beneficial objects; those of birth (skye-ba'i sprul-sku) include sentient beings of all types who work for the benefit of others; and the supreme emanations (mchog-gi sprul-sku) are Sakyamuni and other buddhas who perform the twelve deeds for the sake of living creatures.
The following account is ultimately derived from canonical sources, the first and foremost being the Sutra ofExtensive Play. Contemporary discussions of the Buddha's life, based on both literary and archaeolo- gical evidence, are too numerous to survey here. See HBI, pp. 13-25 and the sources mentioned therein. Chief among the post-1958 re-
372 373
374
375
The Sakya King is Sakyamuni Buddha.
The Lord of Secrets is Vajrapal). i in the form of Guhyapati. See pp. 451-7. is regarded as his emanation. . The sceptre is the sword symbolising discriminative awareness whICh is held by the bodhisattva MaiijusrI.
His emanation was Trhisong
Detsen.
The indestructible lineage of supreme transformation refers to the
supreme masters who become accomplished in rainbow. through the esoteric instructions of All-Surpassmg RealIsatIon (thod-rgal) according to the Great Perfection. See Fundamentals, pp. 337-45.
383
384 385
386
387 388
389
390
391
392
393 394
395
HISTORY: PART ONE
376
The world of Patient Endurance (mi-mjed 'jig-rten-gyi khams, Skt. Sahalokadhatu), is the thirteenth among twenty-five world said to be resting one above the other on the palms of Valrocana Buddha' there are five world realms focused in each of his five centres buddha-body, speech, mind, enlightened attributes activities. Counting upwards from Vairocana's secret centre the thIr- teenth or world of Patient Endurance lies at the heart of Vairocana's mind (thugs-kyi thugs). It contains the four continents ofVideha in the
377
378
3713
380
381 382
east, Jambudvlpa in the south, Godanlya in the west and 3
in the north, all together multiplied one billion times (1000 ), three phases which are known respectively as the chiliocosI? (stong kyi 'jig-rten-gyi khams), the dichiliocosm bar-ma 1 }lg-, rten-gyi khams) and the great trichiliocosm (stong-gsum-gyl stongchen-po'l 'jig-rten-gyi khams, Skt. trisahasramahiisahasralokadhiitu). See Funda- mentals, pp. 130-1; and Kloetzli, Buddhist 2-4. . The Jambu or rose-apple tree (Eugenia Jambolana) IS umque to thIS continent according to all major Indian religious traditions. See W.
Kirfel, Symbolik des Hinduismus und des Jinismus, pp. . 81 and 130. For a general account of the Buddhist concept of cosmIC aeons (bskal- pa, Skt. kalpa), see Kloetzli, Buddhist Cosmology, pp. 73-6. Most aeons are not graced by the presence of even a single buddha and so are "dark ages" (mun-bskal). Ours, however, with its thousand buddhas is so fortunate as to have been named the "Auspicious Aeon" (bskal-pa
bzang-po, Skt. Bhadrakalpa) by the gods themselves. Cf. Peltrtil Rin- poche, The WOrds ofMy Perfect Teacher, pp. 25-8.
Sakyamuni Buddha is the fourth supreme emanational body to appear during this aeon. The previous three were Buddhas Krakucchandra,
Kanaka and Kasyapa.
The basic doctrines of this school are described in
pp. 156-7. For a historical survey, see A. K. Warder, Indian Buddhlsm, pp. 341-7 and passim.
See n. 109 above.
The path of provisions (tshogs-lam, Skt. is first among
the five paths of a bodhisattva's progress towards The others are the paths of connection (sbyor-lam, Skt. prayogamarga), insight (mthong-lam, Skt. darsanamiirga), meditation (bsgom-lam, Skt.
30 Notes
searches are the several volumes of A. Bareau's Recherches sur la Bio-
408 On Rahu, the eclipser of the moon, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons of Tibet, pp. 259-63; and A. L. Basham, The Wonder that was India, p. 49l.
409 The "impure religion of Magadha" is, of course, the Brahmanism of the Buddha's day. While maintaining that this religion does not provide an ultimately salvific vehicle, Buddhists do not deny its many positive teachings. See, e. g. , Fundamentals, pp. 57-62.
410 Corruptions (zag-pa, Skt. iisrava) comprise all those propensities which serve to sustain the round of sarpsara. In attaining nirvaJ),a, these are exhausted (zad); but, in addition, the Buddha knows directly that they have been completely exhausted.
411 "Long-living" (tshe-dang ! dan-pa, Skt. implies that one is still bound to the cyclical existence of samsara and so is not a realised buddha. .
412 Refer here to the Glossary of Enumerations under four truths.
413 For a more detailed account of the subject-matter of the three wheels of the doctrine than will be found in the present summary, see Funda- mentals, Pt. 3. See also Lessing and Wayman, Mkhas grub rje's Funda-
mentals of the Buddhist Tantras, pp. 43-53.
414 Vulture Peak is near Rajagrha (modern Rajgir) in Bihar,
north India.
415 The teaching of path and result is that which leads out of cyclical
existence or sarpsara. It refers to the five paths (see n. 382 above) and the corresponding results which are attained by arhats, self-centred buddhas or bodhisattvas; see Fundamentals, pp. 223ff.
416 These are, primanly, the eight great fears, on which see the Glossary of Enumerations.
417 KusinagarI, in the Buddha's day within the domains of the Mallas, is identified with modern Kasia, about thirty-five miles to the east of Gorakhpur in north India.
418 The so-called extremist (mu-stegs) or non-Buddhist doctrines are dealt with generally in Fundamentals, pp. 62-9.
419 AvIci is held to be the lowest and most unbearable of the hellish domains, occupied by sentient beings at the bottom of samsara. See the chart on pp. 14-15; also sGam-po-pa, The Jewel of Lib- eration, p. 58.
420 Udumbara here refers to a large and rare mythical lotus, which blossoms only once in an age.
421 On the traditions relative to these original reliquaries, refer to HBI, pp. 24-5; and Bareau, Recherches sur la Biographie du Buddha, 11. 11, pp. 308-23.
422 These three councils are considered in HBI, pp. l36-54 and 297-319. For the first council in particular, the standard work is J. Przyluski, Le Concile de Rajagr:ha; and, for the second, M. Hofinger, Etude sur Ie Concile de Vaisalr. Cf. also Lessing and Wayman, Mkhas grub rje's Fundamentals of the Buddhist Tantras, pp. 59-69; and J. Nattier and C. Prebish, "Mahasanghika Orgins: The Beginnings of Buddhist Sec- tarianism" in History of Religions, Vol. 16, no. 3 (1977).
423 Our interpretation of the terse mnemonic given here is based on the discussion of the heresy found in Minor Transmissions T 6), in the Derge Kangyur, Vol. Da, pp. 646-63. We are indebted
396 397
398 399
400
401 402
graphie du Buddha.
On the purificatory fast, see Fundamentals, p. . . Buddha Aksobhyavajra, according to the tradltIons of the vehIcle of indestructibie reality, is particularly associated with the vase empow- erment, for which reason he is especially referred to here on the
sion of the Bodhisattva's consecratory bath. Some of the sYI? bolIc significance of this for of the of indestructible reality has been mdicated m R. A. F. Thurman s artIcle, "Tson-kha-pa's Integration ofSiitra and Tantra" in STC, PP: 372. -82. The siitras of the greater vehicle frequently give the name m thIS form
instead of the more familiar "Siddhartha". . .
The suffering of change, the all-pervading suffering. of existence and the suffering of pain itself are the three kmds of suffermg to which all samsara is subject. For a detailed discussion, see, e. g. ,
sGam-po-pa, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, pp. 55ff.
According to HBI, p. 346, this incident. occurred near east of Kapilavastu. Khetsun Zangpo however mforms us of a contemporary Indian view that the Sacred Stiipa (mchod-rten rnam- dag) was situated near Mankapur in . .
The pinnacle or summit of existence IS explamed m Fundamentals,
p. 62. . h· h The realm of desire ('dod-pa'i khams, Skt. kiimadhatu) IS that w IC
comprises the five lower classes of sentient beings and the lowest levels of the gods known in ascending order as the realms the Four Great Kings (Caturmahiiriijakiiyika), the heaven of (Trayatri1[lsa), the Strifeless (Yiima), the Joyful . DelIghtmg Emanation (NirmiilJarati) and Mastery over TransformatIons (Paranzr-
mitavasavartin). For their position within the three world realms of
samsara and the realisation acquired by their inhabitants, see Funda-
pp. 61-2; and the chart on pp. 14-15.
On great loving kindness (byams,-pa chen-po), see Fundamentals,
403
p. 88.
404
405
406
407
"Five-arrowed One" (mda'-lnga, Skt. Paficasara) and Smara (dran-pa, lit. "Memory") are both epithets of Kamadeva or Mara, the lord of the desire realm. His emblem is the crocodile banner.
PundarIka (pad-dkar-ma), Menaka (me-na-kii) , (legs-brgya. n-
ma) ·and Ke§amisra (skra-'dres-ma) are four of the thIrteen courtesans (lha'i smad-'tshong-ma bcu-gsum), also known as offenng goddesses (mchod-pa'i lha-mo). Others are sh! ng-rta-ma, glog- 'od-can, chu-shing bri-can, thig-le mchog-ma or Tilottama, legs-bzang-ma, ma-nyang skyes-ma, a-lam bu-sha or skad-legs-ma and rab-
in the quotation cited in Fundamentals, p. 61. also the Glossary of Enumerations under four (meditative) concentratlOns.
"Middle way" here refers to the central channel Skt. avadhuti) within the body. All impure psychophYSIcal within the subject-object dichotomy were transformed here mto pns-
tine cognition and the enlightened attributes of the buddhas; see Fundamentals, p. 341.
myos-ma or Pramoda.
The fourth meditative concentration (bsam-gtan bzhz-pa) IS descnbed
. .
.
History: Part One 31
32 Notes
History: Part One 33
424 425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432 433
434 435
436
437
438
439
to Lama Sonam Topgyel for locating this valuable passage.
Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 94.
The major traditions relative to the origins and development of the eighteen schools of the lesser vehicle (Hfnayana) are summarised in HBI, pp. 571-606. The divisions reported in our present text agree with those listed in Sarvastivadin sources.
See Obermiller, History ofBuddhism by Bu-ston, Pt. 2, p. 98. According to the Tibetan Vinaya tradition there were one hundred kings in the dynasty of Nagapala, son of King Gaganapati in Varal)asI. The last of
a buddha refer to the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks. These are listed in, e. g. , Mvt. 236-67,269-349; the Ornament ofEmergent Realisation (AbhisamayalatrZkara), vv. l3-32; and Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 73-6 (GGFTC, pp. 406-9). See also Fundamentals, p. 124; and the Glossary of Enumer- ations.
440 Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 33.
441 On the Trayatrimsa heaven in relation to other divine realms see
n. 402 above. . ,
442 The great Sixteen Elders, and many of the literary and artistic tra- ditions associated with them, are considered extensively in M. W. de Visser, The Arhats in China and Japan; and J. Tate, The Sixteen Elders. While their divine intercession in Chinese life is detailed therein, the basis for associating them with the emperors here mentioned remains obscure. But cf. L. S. Dagyab, Tibetan Religious Art, Pt. I,
Sect. IV.
443 Cf. Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, pp. 29-33.
444 The basic philosophical tenets of this school are summarised in Fun-
damentals, p. 158. For further background, see also Warder, Indian
Buddhism, pp. 345-6, 421-2, 472-3.
445 The Great Treasury ofDetailed Exposition which today
syrvives only in its Chinese translation (Taisho 1545), is assigned by Etienne Lamotte to the second century AD; see HBI, pp. 303-5,424-5, etc. The prolific writings of Nagarjuna are usually assigned to about AD 200, though they may have been composed slightly earlier.
