No More Learning

24 Jamyang KhyentseWangpo
[658. 6-676 5] J
L' . amyang Khyentse Wa
mgpa, the kingly treasure-finder or Pema Osel Do-nga great pal). 9Ita Vimalamitra and th '1" was coalescent play of
e was the thirteenth of Gyelse Ig. lOUS Trhisong Detsen. he was always a treasure-finder Kh J s during which many w? ndrous omens, on Rmpoche was born, with
month, Iron dragon year C y IS july 1820 (fifth day sixth R k" , 10urteenth cycl ) ,
oc In the VIllage ofTerlung Tin o D e . ,
:r he
From his very earliest memories K for repeatedly by the six-a;
Yaru Khyungcen Dokam. His father yo clan, and his mother was
;as Trungcen Rincen Wangyel okza Sonamtsho.
:
hyentse Rinpoche was lovingly and the mantra prot med of Pristine Cognition of many of his ast livectress He had irregular re-
enlIghtened family of the p es. chIldhood he awoke to th Ion d greater vehIcle and" e ge only for ordination End d ' m partIcular, his heart
discrimination he to intelligence I ICUlty. Just by seeing most bo k anI wnte and so forth without Words the meaning. 0 s on yonce he mastered both the
In hIS twenty-first year he wa f .
the preceptor of Orgyen Mindrot ordamed by Rikdzin Zangpo
an? others he received [the vows rom Sakyapa Dorje in connection with the tf] cultIvation of the enlightened agarJuna and Asanga]. He re . ra ltlOns of the two promulgators
of Khen and Hevajra from
th A So TradulOn (so-lugs yang-dag) d . . wareness-holder from Gyurme San
d h angdak Heruka according t. : Innermost Spirituality of
and the peaceful and wr h gy: ! <unga, the Trhicen ofMin-
empowerment, from G ful deItIes of the Magical Net, along
n thIS way, the roots of the y me Thutop Namgyel of Zhecen 1I69 Kh . mantratradit' , .
ti
had completel IOn s vows were established. on WIth hIS mcarnate status and h' y arrogance in connec- , IS no e and wealthy ancestry, and
an
. Cl Lineages ofthe Treasures
850 HlStory: ose . d erseverance and endeavour
h d h' s WIth tremen ous p 1T'b endured great ar s lp . d d fifty tutors from Centra let,
he attended on almost one hundrhe an lre included gurus who were
mongst w om we f
T sang and Kham, a . 11 as spiritual bene actors an , 'bl eahty as we . ' .
holders of indestruCtl e , He completed study and. trammg m learned masters of the "ten sciences", which art, the exegeses of the branches; and in those dtalect-
medicine, grammar, 10glC V· the Treasury of the Abhldharma, . 1texts as exemplified by the maya, £ 1" n He received, in their
lca ' k nd Transcendental Per ec 10 .
Madhyama _ _
hundred volumes, comprising all the treatises of the Tibetan philosoph- ical systems, without bias. Foremost among these were the Precious Translations ofthe Transmitted Precepts ofthe Conqueror (rgyal-ba'i bka'- 'gyur rin-po-che), the Collected Tantras ofthe Nyingmapa, and the surviv- ing continuous transmission of the Tangyur (bstan-'gyur). l172 In short, Khyentse Rinpoche pursued study exclusively for about thirteen years. He heard most of the traditions renowned among those of the "Ten Great Pillars who Supported the Exegetical Lineages" (bshad-brgyud 'degs-pa'i ka-chen bCU). 1173 Just by glancing at a volume this master understood the depths of its meaning, and he possessed unfailing re- tention.
In order to reveal the career of one who did not belittle the doctrine, Khyentse Rinpoche did not abandon [all these doctrines] having merely studied them, but trained and cultivated himself in them to the limits, whereby he came to possess the unclouded eye of the doctrine. So it was that he knew in detail, and without adulteration, the essential points of the view, conduct and assertions of each philosophical system, whether or not their respective traditions and customs were free from deviation, and so forth. During the present day there is no one, high or low, with whom he might be compared.
Khyentse Rinpoche also expounded most of the siitras, tantras, and treatises which he himself had studied, along with their maturation, liberation and supporting transmissions,1174 many times each. There was nothing he did not teach at least once, whereby he fulfilled the hopes of each aspirant, from great, holy individuals down to common beggars, by his doctrinal gifts, which were free from materialism. He never amassed property by the perverse livelihood of performing house- hold ceremonies which claim to benefit disciples and living creatures, or by begging for alms. Because the three blazes and the three gatherings shone outwardly, material wealth came to him without effort, and he did not squander any at all on impossible schemes. Instead, he commis- sioned about two thousand gold and copper images representing the buddha-body; published nearly forty volumes of texts, and had printed, or copied, some two thousand volumes in all, representing the buddha- speech; and as representatives of the buddha-mind, built more than one hundred stiipas of gold and copper, the foremost of which was the great Stiipa of Lhtindrup Teng. To house them all he erected a fine array of some thirteen temples, large and small, and in these he estab- lished the periodic and daily ceremonies. He did not much concern himself with the difficulties of establishing [monastic and ritual] pro- priety in the new centres, owing to the adverse circumstances and time, but to those monasteries and centres which had been badly damaged during the later civil disturbances in upper and lower [Dokam] he
offered more than three thousand bricks of tea, in accord with the size
of the monasteries.
. ' ents] and liberating entirety, the maturational had survived without declIned
of all the traditions of the past w treasures of the Nyingmapa;
uch as the transmitted an d ew Kadampa schools; t e s . f] the anCIent an n fK mtsang, also [the teachmg 0 . 1170 the Kagytipa subsects 0 a 1171
Sakyapa, Ngorpa and Tsharpa, . ell as the Conangpa,
tantras and treatises mcludmg . f the Cakrasamvara, H eva)ra
d the trw 0 : f b t seven
the Kalacakra Tantra, an . and the transmiSSIOns 0 a ou Guhyasamaja tantras, et cetera,
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
d
Il7S
He advised the officials of China and Tibet, as
JamyangKhyentse Wangpo 851
852 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
well as the religious king and royal ministers of Derge, of the great importance of adequate support, owing to which monasteries which had declined were restored to their former condition and the appropriate ceremonies were sponsored. And through his admonishments, which conformed to traditional and local custom, he greatly increased them. Such was the great kindness which Khyentse Rinpoche conferred.
To the doctrinal centres, large and small, in the neighbouring dis- tricts, he annually provided donations to support [the rites with] dharal)Is, mantras, and dedications of merit. All told, at vanous times, his offerings for this purpose totalled some four thousand bricks of tea in value.
In general, because Khyentse Rinpoche had acquired firmness in the twofold precious enlightened attitude,1176 and especially, because he was endowed with the vast power of pure vision and devotion towards all the philosophical systems, and was otherwise totally without bias and bigotry,1177 his students were countless. They included all the well-known holders of the teaching, and great individuals among the Sakyapa, Kagytipa, Nyingmapa, and Gelukpa, as well as spiritual be- nefactors, practitioners of retreat, poor mendicants, and adherents of the Yungdrung Pon tradition,1178 without partiality. Among those who assembled continually everyday, without number, headed by the many great officials of China and Tibet, it was as if there was no one who did not obtain, in accord with his or her devotion, a connection [with the master], whether through the gift of the doctrine, the removal of misfortune, empowerment, or blessing. Free from the fetters of the eight worldly concerns, Khyentse Rinpoche eradicated the roots of human behaviour as saving face and hope and fear, whether found m persons of high or low status. Thus, his career was that of a aI? ong those who had renounced worldly activity and the cares of thIs lIfe.
Khyentse Rinpoche spent about thirteen years, altogether, ing the rites of service and attainment for many of the favoured deItIes of the of the ancient and new traditions. He cultivated each and everyone of the profound [systems of] gUldance, and, above all, those ofthe Hundred Systems ofGuidance (khrid-brgya)1l79 composed by Jetstin [Ktinga] Dro1cok. The fact that he undertook accomplish whatever commitments he had assumed alone renders hIS career incomparable with that of any other.
The foregoing remarks constitute but a brief summary of Khyentse Rinpoche's outer career, which deals with the three spheres of renun- ciation, study, and work. . .
In the Land of Snows, it is well known that there are eIght lIneages of attainment or great conveyances: . '
(i) The Nyingmapa, or Ancient Translation School, whIch orgmated through the kindness of the preceptor the master [Pad- masambhava], and the religious king [Trhisong Detsen];
]amyang Khyentse Wangpo 853
The which is tradition of the venerable master, AtI. sa, and IS endowed wIth seven divine doctrines;
(m) The mstructions of the Path and Fruit which are the . I
" l' f 'eSSentia Ity 0 the great accomplished master Virupa, and have been
through the glorious Sakyapa and their disciples;
(IV) The four great and eight minor subsects of the Kagyii, which are Marpa, Milarepa, and Takpo Lharje, and have passed
down from the lineage offour transmitted precepts; 1180
. (v) The glonous Shangpa Kagyii [which maintains] the golden doc-
of the and accomplished Neljorpa;
. (VI) Yoga, which emphasises above all the yoga of
IndestructIble realIty, . and which is the stage of perfection of the king of all tantras, the glonous Kalacakra'
(vii) The true. doctrine of the Pacification of suffering, along with its the Object of Cutting, which is the tradition of the great ac- master Phadampa Sangye; and
The. Service and Attainment of the Three Indestructible whIch the Vajra Queen actually bestowed on the great ac-
complIshed master Orgyenpa.
Khyentse Rinpoche had immeasurable faith and devotion towards of these of which the past traditions have been preserved m unbroken lmeages. Therefore, scorning physical fatigue and with
fervent perseverance, he received in full, and without all their sequences of maturation and liberation from tutors connected with the sources? f each By upon them he cleared his doubts; an. d whIle expenentlally cultIvating them through meditation he re-
the blessings of the three secrets and the instructions of close lmeages, both in reality and during various visions and dreams from the learned and of India and Tibet, the p;aceful wrathful medItatIOnal deIties and conquerors, and the host of <;lakmls. the three abodes. In these and other ways he had limitless
pure at. each and every instant. But all this is just vaguely IllustratIve; for, In fact, Khyentse Rinpoche never proclaimed his visions and supernormal cognitive powers, or made other statements about supposed spiritual attainments. For this reason only so much may be
known. A. bove all, having thoroughly mastered the two stages according
to those eIght conveyances, he became unimpeded in teaching debate and . . , ,
cOmpOSItIOn, and free from the taints of bewilderment· and thus
he made disciples enter his following. This is the kernel of hIS Inner career.
In it says in an indestructible prophetic declaration of the great accomplIshed master Thangtong Gyelpo: 1181
Seven hundred years from now,
In the middle of Dokam, during a dragon year,
854
History: Close Lineages oJthe Treasures
A yogin no different from ,
E d ed with five charactenstIcs,
]amyang Khyentse Wangpo 855
nothing. He was transformed into a radiant body of light, thinking, "I am Vimalamitra. "
Moreover, during that same period, the mighty lord among ac- complished masters, Thangtong Gyelpo, revealed himself in a dream, blessed Khyentse Rinpoche, and conferred on him instructions and
further advice; but the master only wrote down the Means for the Attainment ofthe Guru Cbla-sgrub). Later, he unsealed these transmitted precepts and gradually established the Cycles ofthe Innennost Spirituality
ofthe Accomplished Master (grub-thob thugs-tig-gi skor-nzams), including the Root Verses of the Six Stages of Perfection Crdzogs-rim drug-g; rtsa- tshig), the Five Cycles ofAttainment Csgrub-skor lnga), and the Gathering
of the Blood-drinking Sugatas Ckhrag-'thung bde-gshegs 'dus-pa). He also had a vision and was blessed by the Lord of Immortality [Amitayus] and his consort, whereby he received their extraordinary means for
attainment. Among them, he established the Root Text of Ca1JQalf, Mother of Life (tshe-yum tsa1Jqa-lf'i rtsa-ba). Although he experienced these and countless other visions of the myriad deities of the three
roots, he profoundly intended to preserve their secrecy. Therefore, others did not know even a bit about them.
In particular, though there appear to be many prophetic declarations
among Khyentse Rinpoche's earlier and later [treasures], he himself stated:
It is said that: "Treasure-finders are ruined by their prophecies. ,," Just so, once a so-called prophetic declaration is written down it becomes necessary to put its stipulations
into practice. But no one at all puts them into practice, because of which [the prophecies] never exactly strike the
mark. Too much prattle about them is an ingress for demons!
Therefore, he neither made prophetic declarations, nor delighted in those made by others. This appears to be a point ofgreat Consequence.
JAMY ANG KHYENTSE W ANGPO'S SEVEN SUCCESSIONS TO THE TRANSMITTED PRECEPTS
(i) Concerning Khyentse Rinpoche's succession to the transmitted pre- cepts [ofthe distant lineage]: In his sixteenth year, at dawn on Saturday 6 May 1835 (tenth day, fourth month), he went to the Lotus Light
Palace on Camaradv! pa in a pure vision. There, in a magnificent moun- tain range, in the midst of especially white cloUds, he met Guru Saroruhavajra, surrounded by a host of<;lakin! s. The Guru intentionally
blessed him, conferred symbolic empowerment, and greatly inspired
him by foretelling his seven successions to the transmitted precepts. Finally, adopting a gaze, he said:
n ow " I erson Will emerge as an appantlOna p
. -holder of Nyo. '11 b the son of Ga, an awareness " 1182
He Wl e , , H '11haveawarrior sslgns. His element wlll be lron. Wl he will be Do-nga Lingpa,
Being blessed by Perna Gye Endowed with seven succe,sslOns
Being blessed by . . I T ·'1 'DofJe
of transmitted precepts.
He will be Ose ru pel ,'MafijusrI's emanation, Being blessed by the
He will be Choki Shenyen,
, , well as with the Prophetic Inventory of the
In accordance wlth thls, as ,t, , (d ogs chen sde-gsum lung-byang), Three Classes of the Great Perjectwnd r Khyentse Rinpoche was which was cited above 844], 0 declarations as one repeatedly heralded by mdestructI, e ftransmitted precepts, would who, having mastered seven and so he manifestly did.
greatly benefit and ill and was painfully When he was m hls yea d Y he Tshogyel both revealed afflicted, At that time Guru Rmpoche :i:U in the mandala ofVajra-
ering and consecratmg , " h b ttl themselves, empow h d ' e he was victorious m t e a e
k
-I Having received their furt er a VlC, " h e approached
1a. 'fif hear mapureVlSlon,
with his obstacles. In hls 1 teent dY 't'ble Seat in India. He climbed
S P daattheIn estruc1 M _, ; the Nine- torey a g o , ei hth he met the great master anJus-
it storey-by-storey and, m the, g , d d by piles of books to the
rlmitra in the guise of a paJ)<;i1ta, ; with great devotion and
left and right. Khyentse e okwea volume from his left and M -' ; -mltra too
prayed, whereupon k 't manuscript of the Verse Summation showed it to him. It was a ans oflDiscriminative Awareness. He placed
O f the Transcendental PerJectwhn ifd d transmitted its intention, saymg, ,'1 fKh ntse's ea an " " It on the crown 0 ye " o f all the dialectlcal doctnnes.
"This is the complete and showed it to him. It appeared Then, he took a volume from ntra oJthe Mirror oJVajrasattva's
to be entitled the Great PerJectwn, t e ,a , -long-gi rgyud). He placed h p dor-sems snymg-gz me "
Heart (rdzogs-pa c en- o,r d d transmitted its intentIon, saymg,
it upon the crown of hls hea, 0 the words, meanings, and bles-
"This is the complete d tructible reality in general,
sings of the secret mantra vehIcle in particular. " Then,
and of three classes of t,he joyfully dissolved mto
after makmg some prophecles, If For a moment Khyentse
light and vanished into the master lmse contemplation, Having ' I tered a non-concep h'ch
Rinpoche expanslve yen d d outside [the temple], at w 1
roused himself from it, he proc,ee front of the door. Powerless to
point there was a great s material body was burnt to do otherwise he entered It and IS gros ,
856
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Untainted by graspable objects,
Untarnished by grasping thoughts, . Maintaining naked awareness and emptIness -
This is the intention of all buddhas!
. . . h nished into the master himself,
Then, together WIth hIS . e of the Guru had merged who consequ. ently. felt. e he acquired a natural security indivisibly WIth hIS mmd: or He became utterly enthusias-
in the abiding nature J : : u Rinpoche, owing to which he tic and prayed one-pomte y . d rece ts and treasures of the effortlessly obtained the rantras, along with their
ancient and new tradItIOnS 0 . transmissions as well as exceed-
Lingpa, gave him a volume, and blessed him. With that extraordinary pure vision as the inception, the careers of the treasure-finders and all their extant treasure doctrines shone clearly in Khyentse Rinpoche's mind; and he was authorised to be the successor to their transmitted precepts. In this way, most of the yellow scrolls which had been recon- cealed as treasures by their respective previous discoverers were brought forth by the gakinls of pristine cognition and handed down to him, whereupon he deciphered them. Some he established by glancing at the symbolic script, or because, without efforts, they were self-clarifying in the expanse of his intention. During these occasions Guru Rinpoche appeared in person, or in the forms of the various treasure-finders, and bestowed upon him the maturation and liberation [of the treasures] in their entirety, all at once. With most wonderful perseverance, his emi- nence Jamgon Lodro Thaye implored Khyentse Rinpoche again and again to rediscover even a portion of the ancient treasures of which the lineages had been broken altogether. Accordingly, he found a great many close lineages of reconcealed treasure. These are preserved in the Store of Precious Treasure.
(iv) Concerning his profound treasures of intention: In 1848 (earth monkey), his twenty-ninth year, while en route to Central Tibet, Khyentse Rinpoche performed the feast offering of the tenth day at Cangdrok Gegyel. Guru Rinpoche actually revealed himself to him and gave his blessing. When Khyentse Rinpoche offered worship before the representative image of Saroruhavajra at Samye, which had been discovered among the treasures of Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer, the image actually turned into Saroruhavajra and gave him blessing and instruc- tion, on the basis of which he brought forth the Doctrinal Cycle of the Innermost Spirituality ofSaroruha, which is the Secret Attainment, among the Three Cycles of the Means for the Attainment of the Guru (bla-sgrub skor-gsum-gyi gsang-sgrub mtsho-skyes snying-thig-gi chos-skor). I n January/February 1855 (rgyal zla-ba, wood tiger), during his thirty-fifth year, when he performed the rites of the service and attainment of the
Immortal Wish-granting Wheel ['chi-med yid-bzhin 'khor-lo, the name of a form of White Tara] he actually beheld the visage of the sublime Tara, who harmoniously chanted her ten-syllable mantra and blessed him. 1183 Later, when he had also been blessed by three masters who had accomplished immortality,1184 he brought forth the Doctrinal Cycle ofthe Innermost Spirituality ofthe Sublime Lady (,phags-ma'i snying-thig-gi chos-skor). The origins of the Cycle of the Innermost Spirituality of the Accomplished Master have already been described [po 804]. These treasures ofKhyentse Rinpoche are supreme among the treasures ofinten- tion, for they comprise verses ofindestructible reality which are no diffe- rent from the tantras, and are beyond the conceptions ofordinary people.
(v) Concerning Khyentse Rinpoche's recollections: Once, while travelling in Tibet, when he passed through the lower valley of Uyuk
. l"b ration and supportmg , . . maturatIOn, 1 , . Throu h his experiential cultIvatIon,
ingly rare contInUOUS teaching and propagatIOn of them,
h g kindled the dying embers of e re
the teaching. . .
(ii) Concermng hIS earth ·nzang the dakinI of pristine
. In his twentieth year, when Khyentse Rinpoche went to Tra mar n chest' it he extracted
. . 11 offeredhimatreasure· R cogmtIOn actua Y C · nate One as Mind at
est the Doctrinal Cycle of the. Great _ and the remains of
(thugs-rje chen-po sems-nyzd Nyingdrung he brought
twenty-one brahmans. From A . t of the Guru's Four Bodzes of h M fior the ttammen OJ
the Cycle OJ t e eans . d relics emanated from a tooth (bla-ma sku-bzhi'i out and offered to him by [the of Guru Rinpoche. These u Yutso he discovered the Cycle
protector] Nyencen Thang a. t rtsa-gsum sgyu-'phrul drva-ba'i of the Magical Net of the the of the Universal Gathering skor); and at Terlung Pemel . , k· skor) which was brought out of the Three. Roots (rtsa-gsum to him. In addition to
by the magIcal power of the . t for some of the root texts he
these there many b:t for the Cycle ofthe Attainment
was not permItted. to . IS t em· s-s rub yid-bzhin nor-bu'i skor) thu
of Mind as the Wzsh-fulfzllmg Gem ( g gbh aBed] "Blazing with . . ge [of Padmasam ava, c
and the representatIVe. lma " hich rested at Tsike Norbu Piinsum;
the Glory of AccomplIshment ,w t nd establish them.
d Ch ur Lingpa to extrac a
ogy of the Means for the Attainment of the
G
he exhorte
In general, the Four Cycles OJ CI 1'the Great Perfection whzch
u. ru (bla-sgrub skor bzhi-ka), the Three . asses o(b . o'i thugs-tig rdzogs-chen
are the Innermost Spirituality of Valrocalna b aln-r combined treasure ppear to have aso ee the d .
sde-gsum), et cetera, a L. [which they discovere ] m troves of this master and Chogyur mgpa,
com m on. . t asures which supplement them: (iii) Concermng the reconcealed re) Guru Rinpoche appeared to
In 1859 (do:z-grub, great treasure-finder Sangye Khyentse Rlnpoche ill the lorm 0
JamyangKhyentse Wangpo 857
858 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
in Tsang, he remembered precisely the place and time at which, for- merly, as the great Cetsun, he had passed away in the body of light. On the basis of this, he established the Innennost Spirituality of Cetsiin (lce-btsun snying-thig). 1185 Then, when he remembered his previous life as Langdro Konjung, he brought to light the Attainment of Longevity) the Innennost Spirituality of Vairocana (tshe-sgrub bai-ro'i thugs-tig), the Alchemy ofWhite Sirrzhavaktra (seng-gdong dkar-mo'i bcud-len) , et cetera.
(vi) Concerning his pure visions: As exemplified by the aforemen- tioned Cycle ofInstructions on CalJejalz) Mother ofLife) from the Innennost Spirituality ofImmortality (,chi-med thugs-tig-gi tshe-yum tsalJeja-lf'i gdams- skor), a recension of the Means for the Attainment of the Guru according to the Innennost Spirituality of Longcenpa) [entitled] "Sealed with the Seminal Point)) (klong-chen snying-thig-gi bla-sgrub thig-le'i rgya-can-gyi
yig-cha) ,1186 and the Meansfor the Attainment ofthe Guru Chogyur Lingpa) the Gathering of the Families of the Three Bodies (mchog-gling bla-sgrub sku-gsum rigs-'dUS),1187 there were undoubtedly many, but he confined the actual propagation to those alone.
(vii) Concerning the aural lineage: While Khyentse Rinpoche was residing in the great pilgrimage centre of Dzongsho Deshek Dupa, he had a pure vision in which he approached the Sailkarakuta Caitya. There, in each of the eight directions there were arrayed the Eight Emanations of the Guru, and, at the centre, all of them gathered together as Guru Rinpoche. They bestowed upon him, as an aural lineage, the heart of the maturation and liberation of the Eight Transmitted Precepts of Great Attainment, the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Magical Net, and so forth; and he established them.
All the above constitutes merely the essence of Khyentse Rinpoche's secret career.
In his seventy-thirq year, after completing, for the while, such marvel- lous and wonderful deeds, on the morning of Monday 18 April 1892 (twenty-first day, second month, water male dragon year), 1188 Khyentse Rinpoche scattered some flowers and gave many benedictions, after which, equipoised in contemplation, he withdrew from the array of his physical body into the expanse of the great master Vimalamitra's inten- tion. Thereafter, just as had been prophesied, his emanational basis at Mount Wu-t'ai-shan made simultaneously manifest the array of five emanational bodies.
1189 So it is that [as the several Khyentse Rinpoches] he has performed, and continues to perform, inconceivable acts on behalf of the teaching and living creatures.
25 ]amgiin Kongtrnl Lodro Thaye
[676 5-693 6] Jam . .
. . gon
y"
onten Gyamtso Lod . . Th 1190 presence of the great translator V . { o aye
was the actual pr. ophesied him in both name . . BU. dd. ha himself clearly
Kmg ofContemplation:
I prophesy one Lodro Thaye
' as It IS saId In the Sutra ofthe
will do much to benefi/sentient beings the conqueror Maitreya, of infinite n whose hand rests supreme contemplation. '
Also itsaysinth S- . +h
' . e utra OJ t e Descent to Lanka (Ch. 10, v. 803):
In penod following that, A gUIde who is called Lodro Will teach five knowledges
And come forth as a great warrior.
Moreover, he was clearly and .
kin? of the doctrine, in the by Orgyen, the anCIent and new treasure tr I e . ecies found In many
t h a t i n t h e p a s t t h i s m a s t e r ] . . n c o n f o r m I t y W I t h t h e s e [ i r i s k n o w n
and accomplished play great. learned Teacher's attendant Anand d h Ia and TIbet, IncludIng the was the emanation of [the ; ? reat translator Vairocana, who
ated the teaching of the C a airocana; and thus he had elucid- Th . . onqueror.
en, thIS magIcal emanation t k b' h
the hidden valley ofRon a h00 Irt, as had been indicated, in
Zelmogang Dokam t gy p. at t e approach to Perna Lhartse in Drida
d ' ,a sunnse on Thursd 2 D ay, tenth month wate b· d ay
ecember 1813 (tenth Tendzin o/thir ;urteenth cycle). 1191 His father was ters, and his mother w eh Ing y. _hyung . clan of accomplished mas-
abilities beyond the ran:: t e Trash! Tsho. He had wondrous f
holy visionaries and many supreme and t
man, who would maintain the teaching a great . IS CI oodgamesre-
860 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures .
. ns as conferring empowerment, teachmg flected only such refined actio F hl·S fifth year he mastered the
alphabet, among other or s d cor Orgyen Rinpoche was ef- . t Undlvlde regar l' .
shown the s c n P . · . . d in reality, contemplative expenences, fortlessly born wlthm hIm, an '. .
and commentaries on the intention of the dialectical vehicle, of which
the foremost were the Madhyamaka, Transcendental Perfection, Vin-
aya, the Treasury of the Abhidharma, and the [Five] Doctrines of Mait-
reya. He also studied all the utterly uncommon transmitted precepts
and treasures, which are the great tantrapitaka of the ancient and new
traditions. His learning, which was not dependent on others, became
like the expanse of sky, whereby he obtained the exalted level to which
. d ·(ng mantras. rom
. .
the doctnne, an reC1l . t ] t dy and reflection, by Just bemg U
and dreams he had only pure
sities of his prevIoUS trammg, da? ,WI nd the other sciences at just a
Kongtrtil awoke to the propen- From about tenth. y. ear, a firm resolve to enter the true
the renowned title of Sarvajiianamahapar! 4ita applied.
l192
is meaningfully
. h I e d art me ! CIne, a h d·d doctnne, e earn , . htforward and gentle, and e 1
glance. His temperament was stralg . ve power of his knowledge ex- h· The expressl h
not transgress IS vows. d th r ways he clearly revealed t e panded these range ofall. Without attributes of a holy w 1 ted them through the power of
striving after necessItieS, he accumu a
great merit. r hed tutors such as Gyurme Under many learned and accom: IS ho knew' the five sciences,
Thutop Namgyel of a pal)ci common sciences. Among Jamgon Kongtrtil's d· d many transmitted precepts
Jamgon Kongtrtil took the revered Camgon Ta'i Situ Perna Nyinje Wangpo as the crown of his enlightened family [i. e. as his root guru]. It was this Situ Rinpoche who disclosed to him the ultimate and defin- itively secret pristine cognition of co-emergent supreme bliss, as exemplified by the nectar of the three vows; and, in doing so, granted him dominion over the essential true lineage.
In particular, in the presence of more than fifty spiritual benefac- tors,1193 without partiality, the foremost of them being Khyentse Wangpo, the embodiment of Jamgon Kongtrtil pursued all the traditions of the paths of the eight conveyances, the lineages of attainment, which had survived in the Land ofSnows; and he completely received the entire profound essence of their maturation, liberation, and instructions. Not leaving any of these as subjects to be studied once, he experientially cultivated each of them and so, with fervent perseverance, raised the banner ofattainment until he had accomplished the attributes which are signs of [success on] the path, just as they are described in the texts. In this way he fully mastered the two accomplish- ments.
When the vase of Jamgon Kongtrtil's mind had been filled with textual exegeses and oral explanations of the transmitted precepts, treatises, tantras, transmissions and esoteric instructions, along with their rituals, practical techniques, and fine points, he·too composed treatises. These form the wonderful legacy of his studies, reflections, and meditations:
(i) The Store which Embraces All Knowledge (shes-bya kun-la khyab-pa'i mdzod) excellently presents the entire corpus of the siitra and mantra traditions, from the paths of the common sciences all the way up to the uncommon Great Perfection, or Atiyoga, which is the culmination of the nine vehicles.
(ii) The Store of Precious Instructions (gdams-ngag rin-po-che'i mdzod) brings together the essential roots of the eight great conveyances, which are lineages of attainment, and the utterly profound essences of their maturation and liberation.
(iii) The Mantra Store of the Lineages of Transmitted Precepts (bka'- brgyud sngags-kyi mdzod) gathers together the means for attainment and mal). cJala ceremonies, and the maturation and liberation, of the trio of
the uncommon, inner SCIences,
e stu Ie
Jamgon Kongtriil £odro Thaye
Jamgiin Kongtrill Lodro Thaye 861
862 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
- antaka (yang-phur-gshin-gsum) and ot? er trans-
]amgijn Kongtriil Lodrtj Thaye 863
Above all, concerning ]amgon Kongtriil's succession to the transmit- ted precepts ofprofound treasures: When the master was in his fifteenth year he met Guru Rinpoche in a pure vision and received his blessing. On that basis many profound, pure visionary doctrines and numerous
Successions to the transmitted precepts of the earth treasures came to him, but he remained indifferent to them. Hence, for the time being, the auspicious coincidence was lost, owing to which it so happened
that inwardly there were signs of the <. Iiikinls' agitation, and outwardly, too, he appeared to be extremely ill. At that time [his consciousness] transferred out of his body, whether in reality or in a dream he could not tell. He met Guru Rinpoche and his consort and conversed with
them a great deal. Finally, they advised him to retake his incarnate existence, at which he experienced himselfto be back in his own physical frame. Encouraged by that dream omen, and by the venerable ]amyang Khyentse Wangpo, he established the PrayerfUl Offering to the Gracious
Goddess (bka'-drin lha-mo'i gsol-kha), whereupon a most radiant spher- ical canopy of rainbows arose in the cloudless sky, and his physical
constitution, too, became clear [i. e. free from ailment].
When Jamgon Kongtriil was performing the rites of service and attainment for the Gathering ofthe Guru's Intention, in a dream he met Guru Rinpoche who conferred on him the blessing of the four empow-
erments, along with the syllables ofthe mantra, saying "This will remove
obstacles to your life during this [astrologically inauspicious] year.
Later, in a few years, we shall meet in reality and my instructions and
advice will come forth gradually. " [How] the meaning intended [came to pass will be revealed below].
During his fortieth year Jamgon Kongtriil met the great treasure- finder Chogyur Lingpa for the first time, and their minds were merged together. He applied in practice the special prophetic inventories which he was given. Furthermore, when they opened the place of pilgrimage
at Dzongsho Deshek Diipa, the all-seeing Khyentse Rinpoche and the great treasure-finder Chogyur Lingpa together requested the master to be seated upon the lofty throne of the doctrine in Citta Sangpuk (Secret
Cave of Mind). There, they presented him with great offerings as an auspicious token, in connection with which they rang the great bell proclaiming his enthronement under the title Chime Tenyi ¥ungdrung Lingpa, which had been conferred upon him by Orgyen, the knower
of the three times. Afterwards, they offered him fervent requests, in connection with prayers for his continuing longevity, concerning the need to restore the auspicious circumstance [for the discovery] of pro-
found treasure, which previously had declined. In this way, the door of good auspices was opened wide.
Then, gradually, as had been predicted by the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche, the inventory of treasure at Lhamdo Burmo Trak came into ]amgon Kongtrtil's 'possession and the master himself developed ex-
Kzla, and Yam hicle of indestructible reality accordIng to the mltted precepts of the ve d h f the tantrapitaka cycles of the
Ancient Translation School, an t ose 0 k .
. h 1of Marpa and Ngo .
new translatIOn sc 0 0 , distils the elixir or refined essence
(iv) The Store ofPrecwus Treasured of the ocean of profound treasures
the Ancient Translation School.
. ed from the sixfold lineage of env
z'n pa'z' mdzod) forms the -
St (thun-mong ma-y
(v. a) The Uncommon ore" Kon trill's own profound treasures,
secret, special wealth of Jamgodn g ts which will be explained including the yellow scrolls an sacramen ,
below. , d Precepts (rgya-chen bka'- (v. b) The Extensive of he composed, and which
mdzod) compiles the vanous opuscu es . d above . h [h ther Stores] mentlone
.
are connected wlt e 0 "I wI brought forth five great stores
In this way Jamgon Kongtru ne Yd nted l'n the world. These are h' h were unprece e . d
or conveyances, w I C " ed works" of one who, having obtame
not merely the so-called from study and thought in each
some general understandmg . b a writer and the deSIre to d by the deSIre to e .
on d few texts devoid of praiseworthy ments. compose, and so. authore a i d the vitality of all contmuous Rather, it is as If they as their death approached.
field, was urge
' r which produced over . J "n Kongtru s caree ,
transmissions of the teachmg, wlt
So if we examme amgo . , . as ifhe spent his whole
ninety volumes of wonderful scnpture, It IS
life as an author. . . ks of his teaching and propagation of the None the less, If one thIn . , t uctl'ons recitational transmlS-
'd e esotenc Ins
empowerments, gUI anc , , d new sutras and tantras, an
d
(. " th of the anCIent an h' sions, and so lor , 'thout bias it is as if he spent IS
' d ts and treasures, WI ,
transmltte precep ' A n d if one investIgates ow,
whole life an? and purification, beginning wlth the y g of creation and perfection as- he experientially t e f mandalas it seems as if he sociated with myna up with mud. passed the length of hIS. hfe m a "Kongtrtil expanded the new
Likewise, if one conSIders how amgfon, ent in Tsandra Rincen
' , t the places 0 attamm
monastic commumtles a " a n d how he renovated many 0
ld
T akl194 and Dzongsho Deshek Dupa, , b f new repres- r " d ' oncelVable num ers 0
establishments, commlSSIOne mc h d 'nd performed more than
entations of the buddha-body, speec mIt l'n'volvl'ng mandala clus-
' f at attammen , ,
one hundred and fifty ntes 0 gre P , Jewels and venerated the
the Three recIOus ,
' 1 ' connection WIth the ten
hort hIS egacym ,, 1 monastic commumty - m s . . ' . e assed his whole life diligent y
h'
ters offered wors lp to
' "
modes of doctnnal conduct -It IS as Ifh, l? t In these ways [hIS career] , h f work and aCtlvi y, ,
engaged m the sp each of those who are truly sublIme. was inconceivable, wnhm only the r
r,
'h
864 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures h d
. . In his fifty-eighth year he extracted t e oc-
traordinary clear he Three Roots' Intention (rtsa-gsum dgongs-pa trines of the Gathenng oft . . in Lhamdo Burmo. From Kumcok Decen 'dus-pa) from Decen Pemako 11 f the Doctrinal Background for
Cave he brought forth (rtsa-gsum the Gathenng of the T. ree b f Hllmkara et cetera; from Un rgyab-chos shog-ser), the secret ro e 0 image of Guru Pad-
Jetsun Cave in Fortune's Glory", longevity masambhava called Blazmg d d at Maratika, the great
R· he had compoun e
pills which Guru mpoc r g. us king Trhisong Detsen's sash
Preceptor robe, the re I I0 h. Terdzong the Doctrinal
]amgon Kongtrill Lodro· Thaye 865 Chogyur Lingpa had unearthed the doctrinal treasure of the Attainment ofMind, the DisPelkr ofAll Obstacks, but had not been able to establish
its yellow scroll, Khyentse Rinpoche had helped by assisting With the establishment. So, on this particular occasion, too, he promised to help Jamgiin Kongtriil with the establishment of the Gathen'ng of the Three
Roots'Intention, the Group ofDoctrines which Gather Together the Five
Great Stores in their Entirety (rtsa-gsum dgongs-'dus mdzod-chen rnam-lnga
yongs-'dus-kyi chos-sde). Then, gradually, the mantra protectress Ekajarj
clearly revealed in visions on two Occasions the decipherment of the
symbolic scripts, the time to release the sealed transmitted precepts, and so forth.
Once, especially, during the evening of the twenty-ninth, [month and year unspecified], the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche experienced a pure vision of the guru, Jamgiin Kongtriil himself, manifested in the
form of the accomplished awareness-holder HUl)lkara, whereupon there
arose within him a visionary clarity in which he was given the empow-
erments, guidance, and esoteric instructions of the Gathering of the
Three Roots' Intention. He said that owing to this the entire significance of the yellow scroll clearly emerged from his mind.
Also, among [the texts of] the Gathering ofthe Three Roots' Intention, the two Jamgons together catalogued the Group of Doctrines of the Su- preme Attainment of the Guru, the Awareness-holder (bla-ma rig-'dzin mchog-sgrub-kyi chos-sde). It appears that if they had followed the great
decipherment of the symbolic script of the <;Iakinjs this text would have turned out as long as Sangye Lingpa's Gathering ofthe Guru's Intention. None the less, they agreed that if they were to follow the medium de-
cipherment it would be of a suitable intermediate length, and that this would be best. They had established only about six chapters when they were interrupted by the visit of certain aristocrats and the venerable
f M ng Trugu Tras 1 ,
r o m _ . n 0 t h e G a t h e r i n g o f t h e T h r e e R o o t s
, Background for the f? aktn! khif,_,gro'i rgyab-chos), the Cycle ofthe
a n d s o f o r t h ;
Intention dgongs-/j's -raMother ofLife (tshe-yum tsalJej,a-lf'z
if
scrolls of the Cycles of the . sgrub-skor-gyi shog-ser), the
Hayagrfva (tshe-dpag-med rta-mgnn . from Tsang-rok Trashi ·11 f M ndarava et cetera, .
longevity pI s 0 a d 'ellow scrolls of the Meansfor the Attam-
Tsekdzong the sacraments an y -brgyad-kyi dam-rdzas dang sgrub-
ment ofthe Eight Closest Sons (nye-srcas f Yeshe Tshogyel at Tsandra ) d f the Secret ave 0 h
thabs shog-ser ; an rom £ h h ellow scroll of the cycles of t e
Rincen Trak,. he brought Transmitted Precepts olthe Father
Means for the Attamment 0 alJ. k Sheldrak Odzong, the yellow sgrub-skor), among others; : : n s ; ; :he Attainment of Amitayus and
means for attamment belongmg . r h Mother Consort of the Secret h 7: ittedPreceptsOJ te )
Consort and t. 1 h. b-bka'yum-bka'i sgrub-skor shog-ser ,
Innermost Spzntualuy (gsang-t z? ya 1 reness-ho1ders 1195 and so . f h· t n Immorta awa ,
the longevity pIlls 0 t lr ee h also found an indescribable n Together with each treasure trove e 1 b.
o . . 1 brme sacramenta 0 Jects.
number of exceedmg y su 1 . hl. ch did not come into
t"ll certam treasures w
Moreover, there s 1 . time and circumstance, though they
the master's . by t the venerable Khyentse Rin-
were within hIS dommIOn. ue tOto the treasure guardians, the
poche's proclamation s ommissioned and discovered
C
treasure-finder Lerap Lmgpa was d b the great treasure-finder
Khyentse Wangpo fell ill. That the time to discover the remaining portion was lost appears to have been the fault of the feeble merits of
h t 0 were extracte
some; and ot ers, 0 , h Chogyur Lingpa. These were t en
y . . ded over to the master [Jamgon
the world at large. 1197
During that period, whatever first arose in the venerable Jamgon
Kongtrtil] himself.
On such occasions as these, at t ou
tset in conformity with the ld begin by collaborating
prophetic inventories, two. J way. When the profound
in the performance of vanous tO . .
. h· posseSSIOn, Jamgon
Kongtrtil gave them all to
treasures came mto IS
.
C'
The latter too belore an
d
h
after arrayed many ceremon . . K tru. . l was bringing fort t e
the venerable K
yentse
W ngpo to mspect. a . f'C'.
" . 1 nd mandalas of matena
h h
Kongtriil's mind subsequently developed effortlessly, like the flow of a river. I;>akinls congregated and many other extraordinary omens oc- curred. Once, at dawn, he experienced a clear vision in which there
appeared a perfectly arrayed temple. Inside ofit sat one who, he thought, was Guru Rinpoche in essence, but the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche
in form, and Whose body of light, [the coalescence of] appearance and emptiness, revealed no definite form. Jamgon Kongtriil bowed down in reverence and repeated after Khyentse Rinpoche the refuge, cultiva-
tion of the enlightened attitUde, and sevenfold service according to the
Daily Yoga of the Awareness-holder Crig-'dzin rgyun-gyi rnal-'byor).
Khyentse Rinpoche, having performed the creation of the deity and the invocation of bleSSing, then took up a vase and placed it on the
an
131feast0lenngsa . . h h
' . 1 hnJamgonong
offering. In partlcu ar, w e h . . r the Three Roots Intentwn
.