<:iita" came from India to Tibet, where, for the sake of riches and honour, they propagated practices
involving
public orgies and slaughter in the villages.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
They are lions among men .
.
.
The View ofthe Great Perfection 909
PelJikpa Kyopei Yi
The master Jfianaklrti also offers a d '
to the Real, beginning: etal1ed eXpOSItIOn In his Introduction
The other name for the M h
Of discriminative er,' thhe tfanscendenta1 perfection F " h ss, IS t e Great Seal
or It IS t e essential nature of undivided .
' " . , pnstme cognItIOn. . .
Therefore, in the actual teachin
perfection of discriminative
Great Seal. In the mantr IS sometimes referred to as the
of Supreme bliss resorts 0 bsecomes accomplished by means
emt' S e reat eal[orcoales f]b , ,P mess. 0 , except for the differe b ence 0
liss and IS somewhat incorrect to sa thatnee etween the,siitras and mantras, the vehicle of the siitras '1 I the <,:ireat Seal IS never expounded
IS taught in a curso . 1 ar y, whIle the nUcleus ofthe sugata1265 h ' ry manner on the path f h -
teac mg of the mantras th t' , 0 t e sutras, it is in the So it is that tho h a It IS greatly elaborated.
, se w 0 have clung onl t h '
meanmg, who have take ' y 0 t e Side of provisional
d n Interest merely in the t
an wh0 have been guided b s ructure ofconventions,
" .
_
g of, the sutras, the transcendental
y words [alone] have broadcast those
· . A Recti'ication ofMisconceptions
. ' . but . f i ] their own biased positlOns,
910 Hl,StOry.
h . , [which con irm d
scriptural aut onues
b ous transmitted precepts an Ynumer b
n down
their are tor the [Buddha's] intention. There have
een treatises which comment on l ' hi'ch did not get so far as they
3 Response to Critics of the "Sutra which Gathers All Intentions"
. d ofspecuaHon,w
many such b1m 11 1 k the power to refute by means 0
f
. d d which tota Y ac 1
were alme , a n . h valid reasoning. This muc
ill have sufficed as an examp e. w
[758. 2-764. 2] Now, [while some object] to the empowerment of the SUtra which Gathers All Intentions, which belongs to the transmitted precepts of the Nyingmapa (rnying-ma bka'-ma mdo-dbang), and reveals empowerment ceremonies for the three causal vehicles,1266 the Hevajra Tantra (Pt. 2, Ch. 8, vv. 9-10c) says:
First you should grant the vow; Then, teach the philosophy, And likewise the Sautrantika philosophy; Later teach the Yogacara itself,
And afterwards the Madhyamaka philosophy.
Then, after the entire sequence of the mantras is known, One should teach Hevajra.
In accord with this exposition, which conforms to a sequential pro- gression through the vehicles, and because the central path ofall vehicles is revealed in full here in the mantra path, the three causal vehicles are seized by the skilful means of the mantras. At that time they sublimely surpass the attributes of their own levels and indeed become the swift path, just as the attitudes and applications of the vows of the lesser vehicle, when seized by an enlightened attitude, are trans- formed into the vows of the greater vehicle, the attributes of which sublimely surpass those of the lower ones. Therefore, this is the special real reason [for the empowerments of the causal vehicles in connection with the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions].
Moreover, the term "empowerment" is actually revealed [in the causal vehicles]; for in the Three Hundred Verses [on the VinayaJ the vows of the novitiate are termed "empowerment":
The moral discipline of renunciation removes suffering, Destroys the real roots of viewing the perishable as self, And vanquishes mundane glory and flower-arrowed Kama. It is the empowerment granting the glory of perfect
enlightenment.
912 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
In general, empowerment is understood in this way: When universal
monarchs are crowned, they are anointed with water from a jewelled
vase and given benedictions by the brahmans, whereby they are em-
powered with dominion over the realm with its seven precious things
and so forth. Similarly, when a bodhisattva who has arrived at the end
of the stream of the tenth level on the path of sutras is about to become
1268
of the tathagatas of the ten directions and vanish into the crown of that spiritual warrior. This is termed the "empowerment of light rays". 1269 In fact, no matter what path one enters, the consecration of the buddhas is the means by which one is empowered in its view, meditation, conduct, and result, and so is denoted as an "empowerment". It says in the
Siltra of the Descent to Lanka (Ch. 2, XL):
Mahamati! moreover, bodhisattvas who have been blessed with two blessings come before the feet of the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas and ask all their questions. With which two blessings, one might ask, are they blessed? It is so that they are blessed with the blessing of balanced contemplative absorption and with the blessing of the em- powerments conferred by all the bodies, faces, and arms [of the buddhas].
Thereat, Mahamati! bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors are blessed with the blessing of the buddhas from [the time of their attainment of] the first level,1270 and become equipoised in the contemplation of the bodhisattvas, which is called "Illumination of the Greater Vehicle". As soon as those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors become equi- poised in the bodhisattvas' contemplation of the "Illumina- tion of the Greater Vehicle", the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas who reside in the ten directions of the uni- verse reveal themselves. They genuinely reveal all their bodies, faces, and discourses. In this way, Mahamati! they appropriately bless the bodhisattva, great spiritual warrior Vajragarbha and other great bodhisattvas endowed with sim- ilar characteristics.
So it is, Mahamati! that the bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors on the first level attain the blessing to become equipoised in contemplation. Through the fundamental vir- tues accumulated during all of a hundred thousand aeons, they finally thoroughly realise the characteristics that are allied to the levels, or opposed to them. Then, on the bodhisattva level called "Cloud of Doctrine", the hands of the conquerors extend from the ten directions of the universe towards those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who,
The Siltra which Gathers Al '
seated in the Great L P lIntentzons 913
with all the most o:lace, wearing crowns adorned rounded by bOdhisattvas r are completely sur- selves. With [hands eat warriors like them-
a buddha,1267 then light rays emanate from the ilnJakesa
whom reside in the G eat Lgreat splntual warriors all of
I' htouch IS] lIke orpiment,I271 gold on Ig t, and lotu h ' empower those bodhisattvas ' t e conquerors
their heads, in the ma: fotus Palace, on the of
Indraraja Because th ner 0 lords, universal monarchs or . ey are emp d '
faces, and hands of the buddh owere by all the bodies
campaka flowers mo ,
bodhisattvas are said t b hand empowerment. 0
e
bts, that bOdhisattva and essed by the blessing of the
And:
For the following reasons Mah- "
arhats, utterly perfect b d'dh
amatl. do the tathagatas as bless b dh' , ' , 0 Isattvas, great
become aware fior th IOn1an ,evel of the pious attendants' , emseYes md' 'd 11 ' the tathagatas; and so that th " ua y, of the level of
teries increase. Maha " b elr doctrines and mas- , rnatl. odhlsattvas ' ,
nors who are not so bl d I' ' great splntual war- , esse s Ide back int h '
extremIsts, pious attendants and _ 0 t e attItUdes of
the unsurpassed and auth ' Mara. They do not attain
buddhahood. For reas enthlc, perfect enlightenment of
. , onssuc asthese th b '
great splntual warriors are f: ' e odhlsattvas
, , , u
splntual warnors with th 'bl be disturbed by the d fil elr
essmg: m order that they not back into the :nd deeds ofMara; not slide
utterly perfect bUddh
as.
avoured by the tathagatas, arhats' ,
As has stated abundantIY in such
that a bodhIsattva who has attain d h
' ,
passages, It IS indisputable
fievel] must attain buddhahood b e end of the stream [of the tenth
g
ore, ,provisionally, the pious airereJm upon empowerment. There-
bodhlsattvas are empowered to buddhas, and and because, ultimatel te medItatIVely their respective of the greater vehicle seized by the enlightened ,self-centred bUddhas 'f ve IC es of] the pious attendants
nISclence, For this especially cr lSWI t paths, to the attainment of om- and all-kn ' UCla reason VaJradh k l l '
th . Owmg, has given such tea h' M at, WIthout relying on the th ,c mg.
ara, sled m means oreover, When it is taught
passed [Yogatantra], 1272 the of the Unsur- merely by means of the tantras f 0: VaJradhara cannot be attained is, in point of fact, much t e Outer of mantras, what is e Sutras those [empowerment e same as thIS, for, on the path of
erment, or blessing, of great are cO,ncealed, and only the empow- rays IS spoken of.
4 Response to Critics of the "Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus"
[764. 2-770. 6] Moreover, because Go Lhetse did not receive the teachings he had requested from the lord of the doctrine, Zurpoche, he nursed a grudge, due to which, after travelling to India, he reported that the Nyingmapa tantras were not to be found in India. 1273 He censured the glorious Secret Nucleus for four faults, et cetera, were occasionally repeated by some Tibetans. 1274 None the less, just going to India [and finding that] they were unknown in a few districts does not disprove the ancient translations. The Great Perfection and other exceedingly profound tantrapi! aka were only transmitted through unique lineages directly from mouth to ear. Beyond that, not even written texts were made. As nothing at all of those instructions remained behind, it may well be true that he neither saw, nor heard ofthem; for India was without this sort of Tibetan custom, whereby the doctrines of the secret mantra are given publicly, even to dogs and mice. Nevertheless, when one such as the "sole divine master" Dlparpkara [Atisa], who was renowned for his great learning in the mantras throughout India, saw the Indian manu- scripts at the Pehar Kordzoling [at Samye] in Tibet, his scholarly arrogance was shattered because many tantrapi! aka were preserved there which he had never heard of or seen before. As that story is clearly set forth in the biography of master Atisa himself, it is of no importance that an ordinary person such as Lhetse did not see those [tantras in India]. As a further illustration, one may note that one Orgyenpa Rincenpel, who meandered like a river all the way to O<;l<;liyana in the west, and who could powerfully transform the vision ofothers, said that he did not see an end to the mantras which appeared in the human world . 1275
Likewise, the lie that the Secret Nucleus had been composed in Tibet was betrayed by an actual Indian manuscript, which came into the possession ofComden Rikpei Reldri, the great paQ<;lita SakyasrI, Tharpa Lotsawa, Golo Zhonupel, Shage Lotsawa, et cetera. Rikpei Reldri, in particular, who was supremely learned in the later translations and was a great rectifier of the teaching, said in his Proof of the Secret Nucleus (gsang-snying sgrub-pa): 1276
sally as the diverse buddh b d ) o a- 0 ry)
e appears unzver- speech and mind.
'.
ThIs tantra IS genuine for the foIl .
Commentary on the Glori G h In the Great
pa'i 'grel-chen T 1844) ous u ryasamaja (dpalgsang-ba 'dus- . h ' composedbyth . /
In t e course of his com e master VIsvamitra th B. mentsonthepas "H ' e emg of Pristine Cogn't' sage ow far does
. . IIOnreach ;J" h S
IS cIted as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3): . . . . t e ecret Nucleus
In the abode o fAkanistha . h
in the limitless ground' h . out or centre,
pristine cognition ther, u: lC IS the. radIant wheel of
forth with thejOew) l . : IS celestzalpalace blazing e s OJ pnstme coan °t 0
uninterrupted throu h h completely gout t e ten dIrectIOns. . .
And also eCh. 1, v. 6):
In every inconceivable [world] h 0 0
IS based on insubstantiality
. . . ,
"hg '. SUbstantIal existence
f, d l [mal],. a a].
e Spontaneously present
The Root Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus
915
Then, m commenting on the as
? e known to be the palatial b X The Stiipa should
It as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3):
a 0
"
eo all buddhas. . . ," he cites
The spire is the p . t'
which all o;:hCOfllIOn central to all) in tions w °th e of the ten direc-
from one another out are not distinct ) are OJ a smgle essence.
! hen, commenting on the passa e " .
e gIves (Ch. 2 . IS Won erful marvellous realit
v 6)- ' . .
EmaholTh' d
Is secret o f all perfect buddhas Allzs created from the uncreated . A t creation itself there is no crea;ion.
Then, while ex 1. .
"Th P ammg the meaning of "
e Secret NUcleus s eak
Moreover, he quotes th p s of fi. ve empowerments. ,,1277
. epassagebegmning(Ch. 6, vv. 9-11)·
Thezr [colours] are blue White y II . ) ) e ow) scarlet
up to:
{-IPer:vasive] without extremes or centre [" t IS an unthinkabl j )
And he says "A d'
three realitie;. " CCor mg to the Secret NUcleus, there are
In these and all other such 0
by mentioning the title S Nmstances Visvamitra begins
ecret ucleus.
00
Y
"
secret he says,
916
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . ,
With such well-wrought arguments, [Rikpei Reldri's work] estab- lishes, in the manner of a teaching dialogue, [the authenticity of the Secret Nucleus], having cited quotations from this tantra in the great treatises that were famed in India, along with many commentaries by the masters mentioned above. You should examine it, for it is clearly valid!
For such reasons, the great pal). gita Sakya Chokden has said:1280
It is not necessary to prove laboriously that
The Nyingmapa doctrines were translated from Indian
originals.
It is enough that they are proven to be
The teaching of the emanational master [Padmasambhava]. Although they do not conform with the mantras and symbols Of those translated from India later on,
The proof of their validity is infallible accomplishment Through their supreme and common attainment.
They may be compared with the doctrines taken
By supreme accomplished masters from various great lands, And which were not translated in India
From their respective volumes;
For it is said that with Va;rasattva's consent
The compilers of those transmitted precepts
Were themselves permitted to teach them
In the language of each different country.
The Nyingmapa doctrinal traditions that definitely were Translated from India require no proof.
Having formulated arguments one might prove
The indefinite ones to be treatises,1281
But the great ones who came before in Tibet, Discovering this to be an artificial, conceptual path,
Have avoided wandering upon it,
As they themselves have explained.
This reasoned argument appears to be a learned axiom, when scrutinised fairly. In general, a doctrine is no more important merely because it originated in India. A distinction of good and bad treatises on the basis of country is not known in learned circles. If the author was one who was abiding on the level of accomplishment, the treatises composed by him should be valid. So, it is proven that whether they originated in India or Tibet makes no difference. Sometimes, too, Tibetan treatises are better than Indian treatises. One should regard as reliable those composed by accomplished Tibetans, whose pristine cognition was manifest, rather than those written by ordinary Indian scholars, who based themselves on learning in grammar and logic.
tera [criticised by Go The four perverse fau ts, et ce , b ' n with the
1
1 b rejected' [When texts egi
Lhetse), are a so to e d d is traditionally held to mean words) Thus I have be buddhas themselves, for it that they. were compi e y th level bodhisattvas to compile
h
is for even t be As it says in the Verification
all the teachlllgs of the u t ' Saroruha as a commentary of Secrets, by mas er
on the Guhyasama}a:
Most masters claim
That the most radiant The glorious Guhyasama}a,
Had as its compiler
The warrior called Lokesvara.
But by the kindness of my guru
I know that the compiler of the glonous
Guhyasamaja
Could not have been any other; .
And so the being who propounded It
Was that tantra's author, . The indestructible reality of mllld.
r
In accord with this explanation, is a tradition whereby
h' self is the complIer.
the exponent 1m bl nd" the Abhidharma, too,
As for the "immeasura e grou
. A k ' tha is immeasurable.
explains . . Visvamitra's Great Commentary ConcernIng the four tlmes_. . J s. "Thus the fourth time [on the Glorious Guhyasama}a say. " the phrase,
should be known to be . ' also found By all the lords of ten l:hat it refers
in the new translatlOns. u a
to the four aeons. . , earance at the centre [of the Regarding Valrasattva s app . ex lain that the
mandala], even the new translatlOnS p . . 1278 . . . . h dala may change pOSltlOns.
foremost figure In t e mat. :l. Th
. a or final punctuation
. Concernlllg
e vlsarg J I the dlscnmznatzve a
k (. )
mar s tlg
t
h passage
e . . ' . . wareness
through
•
whIch
f h
15) the Indian manuscript 0 t e names are applted v . . ti 1279 Siltri (thread) is the Secret Nucleus reads ') Suryaprabhasirpha's
Sanskrit word for thlg lllJe [tig as being Commentary [on the Secret uc
. ) h' Tig is an archaiClsm. . h equlvalent to t 19. [which is found In t e
As for the reference to other later on, such as Secret Nucleus): all the tanthras;xp ation of the Real which
the Hevajra, also refer to t e umm had been delivered first.
The Root Tantra o/the Secret Nucleus 917
5 The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition, and its Impact on the Other Schools
[771. 1-786. 4] Furthermore, in the period following the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, one called the "Red Master" and another called the "Blue-skirted Pa1).
<:iita" came from India to Tibet, where, for the sake of riches and honour, they propagated practices involving public orgies and slaughter in the villages. 1282 Because many Tibetans entered their following, Lha Lama, uncle and nephew, as well as the translator Rincen Zangpo and others explained, in the epistles of re- futation which they authored in order to prevent harm to the teaching, that these were perversions of the mantra tradition. 1283 The translators of the new schools repeatedly declared, in order to prove the greatness of their own doctrines, that the transmitted precepts of the way of the secret mantra according to the Ancient Translation School had been polluted, owing to which ill-informed persons were carried off on the stretcher of doubt. But, in fact, it may be known from the preceding history how the continuous blessings of this succession of tantras,
transmissions, and esoteric instructions have been preserved without decline.
In brief, when the doctrine was persecuted by Langdarma all the dialectical seminaries were destroyed, but the hermitages of the mantra tradition survived somewhat in mountainous ravines, caves, and so forth. For that reason, and in accord with the promise which Langdarma himself made to Nupcen [po 612], the mantrins were never harmed at all. During those times a multitude of excellent awareness-holders, who had mastery over the two accomplishments, continued to maintain the teaching of the three inner classes of tantra. Their number included Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo, Ngenlam Cangcup Gyeitsen, most of the eight glorious disciples ofNyak Jfianakumara, Nupcen and his disciples, Rok Sakya Jungne, and Deshek Zurpoche.
As for how the supreme and common accomplishments were visibly disclosed, without fail, by those who experientially cultivated the tantras of the Ancient Translation School and the esoteric instructions com- posed by those who dwelt on the great level of the awareness-holders:
The Continuity ofth N .
there were . e yzngmapa Tradition 919
. seven sUccessIve generations f . .
Mipham Gonpo, who did so b 0 beginning with
C l a s s o f t h e G r e a t P e r f e c t i o n y o f t h e m s t r u c t i o n s o f t h e the lmeage which passed from seven generations in and so on, whose physical bodies df Zangpo to Dangma,
m o
hat was left behind n'0 1 ,earht quakes and various other miracles'
' argert anacub·t b . asses consisting of the five . 1 '. ecame [after cremation]
. .
mstructIOns on inner radiance e pat of the esoteric
the Supreme transformation b ssolved mto the rainbow body
, Ymeansofth h ' as many who emerged Innermost Spirituality;1284 as well
:vho had the discipline to as the three ancestral Zurs, mto space. e ead, and who bodily vanished
It is impossible, too to enu
rainbow body by the ;aths f all those who passed into the Perfection, as exemplified b e profound treasures of the Great
and the Northern [Treasure; of Perna Lingpa] late age, this may still be illustrated during this year, fifteenth cycle) the lord xample, m. 1883/4 (water
RIkdzm Perna DtidUl van· h d . among accomplIshed masters h h· ,ISemthebod f1·h1285 '
W en IS personal disciple the t fi y 0
. , r e a sure- mder R
1· h
Into Ig t. What was left
It can stIll be seen today D · h sIze, was taken to Dokam where d·. . unngtatsame . d '
of the great treasure-finder D. . . there were thirteen
rambow body 1286 F h UJom Lmgpa who attained th
. Urtermorever 1 e have been many Whom I rem 'b y c ose to the present day, there
h d· em er, Who were . . . . 1
Issolved into the rainbow bod . y perceived to
theIr bodies behind: Lingtsang Dza : leavmg even a trace of (wood pig year, sixteenth cYcle)-lfs7 rashl Ozer of? okam in 1935/6 Gyeltsen,in1937/8(fireoxyear). 1288f111follo;ed by hIS regent, Lodro
away at Mmdroling his remaI· . .
Ig t. Afterwards · k · ' angn DorJe, passed
b h·
. e md, . which was about six inches i n .
'ns
Namgyel in 1952/3 (water drago'n 0 by Derge Yilungpa Sonam In dd·· year
a ltIOn, one cannot number th . . . . .
the treasure-finder Dtijom Lin a. Do_se. Tnme Ozer, the Son of Wangmo; the Zhecen Gyeltsa g p , . aki Kunzang Chonyi Dekyong
Namgyel; the great
enpel NYIma· Cadrel K·· P ngwa, Gemang II, Thupwang T d· ' unga elden· L·
en zm; the great preceptor of D 1 ' ;ngter III, Gyurme Perna my . own supreme guides the zo (cen, ema Thekcok Loden; and Doqe; Khyapdak Gyurme'N d treasure-finder Zilnon Namkei
lampel Dewei Nyima Th . O? angpo; and the lord of the circle by sound bodies mostly vanished into light'
There were also
remams and relIcs. very many [Nying
oflearning, such as Rong masters] who traversed the
Ing of the doctrine, Longcen Ram. Chokl Zangpo and the all-knowing
level such as that of Naga- . Who planted their feet on a
rJuna and Asanga th
, e Supreme adornments
vanIshed
Diijom Lingpa
good [liberation]. 1291 The buddhas and bodhisattvas have acted solely as physicians on behalf of other sentient beings. With this intention the supremely learned Go Lotsawa Zhonupel has said [in the Blue Annals, p. 203]:
In general, after the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, there was not a single ordained monk in Central Tibet and Tsang for more than seventy years. However, there were many Nyingmapa mantra adepts who blessed their respective homelands with their distinctive practices. The householders had faith in them, delighted them with food and clothing, et cetera, and occasionally received the vase empowerment alone, whereby their minds gradually matured. Consequently, when those known as the six or eight men from Central Tibet and Tsang, [namely,] Lume and the others, arrived, countless temples and monastic com- munities were founded in every province and district. It became possible to enjoy, without decline, the transmitted precepts and treatises which had been translated in the past, during the time of the king and his ministers. Moreover, most of the many learned and accomplished individuals who appeared originated from the lineages of the Nyingmapa accomplished masters.
Just so, apart from some esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection which were composed by Indian masters such as Indrabhl1ti, Buddha- jfianapada, and Naropa, and which were dispersed throughout Tibet, most of the treatises, and so forth, composed by other accomplished masters were not even translated into Tibetan. These masters, being determined to preserve secrecy, would not leave even a trace of their supremely profound, esoteric instructions behind. So, let alone the issue of public teaching, because even the books were by and large sealed to be kept invisible, they could only be revealed in utter secrecy to one sole supremely fortunate disciple. So it was that, for example, Phamthingpa was familiar with Ndropd's Sky-farer (nd-ro mkha'-spyod), the mere name of which Marpa had never heard. Likewise, there are accounts [which hold that] the great pa1)9ita SakyasrI received VajrakIla from the great master Padmasambhava himself, and that Phadampa Sangye maintained the Great Perfection as his profoundest commitment. At a later date, the great accomplished master Santigupta received the transmitted exegeses, empowerments, and esoteric intructions of many tantrapitaka from master Padmasambhava in person. Santigupta's dis- ciples who came to Tibet related that he also propagated them in Draviga and other countries. 1292 In addition, there was the Great Perfection which Zhang Yudrakpa received directly from the master Padmasam-
bhava, the bodhisattva and Vimalamitra.
whose sublime intellects were fearless in the
. .
beautIfY1ng Jambudv1pa, d. . f th Sugata's doctrinal tradition. In encounter with t? e profun °the Medical Tantras (gso-dpyad
_
the ast:ee translator Vairocana, have
Yr·
rgyud-bzhz), translate
provided great sustenance for with] pro-
Moreover, [the traf deeds by means of the four found means for the 0 enrichment subjugation, and rites of enlightened actIvity: have famed for their wrath. Therefore, when some of h e been afflicted with most
greatness throughout the Land of t refuge directly or in- fearsome circumstances, they have a. 0 T lation'School. This is
. h C' 11 rs of the Anc1ent rans
directly, with t e 10 . owe . hou h Sakya Pa1)9ita cou
ld verified by direct eV1dence: for t theglatter began to fly into
defeat Haranandin through ·th the gnostic mantra of . D awhoboun1mW1 . ht
the sky 1t was arcarw h ld think how far-reaching IS t a VajrakHa. 1290 This being so, one \ ned activity associated with the teaching, which is possessed of en Ig fe . t nce] and the definitively
manifestly elevated [higher realms 0 eXlS e
atures
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 921
920
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
922 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
When the venerable Milarepa first received the Mental Class of the Great Perfection from Nup Khulungpa he could not become equipoised in awareness itself, and for the time being the doctrine and the individual seemed to go their own ways. 1293 Finally, on the basis of the venerable Marpa ofLhodrak's [teaching ofthe] inner heat, he attained accomplish- ment on the path of the Great Perfection, whereby all thoughts, all things are exhausted. This can be demonstrated by one of his own songs of indestructible reality, in which he says:
Stabbed in front by the Great Perfection, Stabbed in the back by the Great Seal,
I vomit the blood of instruction. . .
The venerable Karma Pakshi [Karmapa II], who had been Garap Dorje's disciple Toktsewa, remembered that previous life in which he had comprehended the six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. Owing to this, and to his study of the Great Perfection under Katokpa Campabum, and so on, he obtained accomplishment. The all-knowing Rangjung Dorje [Karmapa III] asserted himself to be the emanation of Vimalamitra and, having become the master of the teaching of the Innermost Spirituality, brought forth treasures of inten- tion as well. The great accomplished master Orgyenpa, the venera9le Gotsangpa, Yang-gonpa and others who realised sarpsura and nirvu1). a to be of the same savour [i. e. the adherents of the Drukpa Kagyti tradition] obtained accomplishment in the expanse of the Great Perfection, no matter upon which path they provisionally relied. [To affirm this] one should examine the innermost assertions of their respective intentions.
The glorious Sakyapa all attained accomplishment by relying upon the tradition of the ancient translations that was derived from the lineage of Khon Ltiiwangpo,1294 a direct disciple of master Padmasambhava; and Yangdak and VajrakIla were both adopted as the vital meditational deities of the Sakyapa. During that age, when those Tibetans with arrogant presumptions to scholarship sought to smear the ancient trans- lations, Yangdak and Vajrakfla were effulgently protected by their [Sakyapa] doctrine masters, who revered them for their purity and so had occasion to cause [their critics] to erase what they had written. The doctrine master Lama Tampa [Sonam Gyeltsen] attained manifest signs [of accomplishment] by relying on Vajrakfla, and he composed a recen- sion of it. In particular, the supreme holders of the Sakyapa teaching tradition, from Dakcen Lodro GyeItsen to Ktinpang Doringpa, Choje Tsharpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangcuk, et cetera, were directly or in- directly favoured and blessed by the great master Padmasambhava. Consequently, there were many who obtained accomplishment by the paths of the Ancient Translation School, including the Great Perfection. They can be known from their individual biographies and so forth, but it will not be possible to mention them [all] here.
The Continuity 01'th M 'J e
oreOver, even the instructions of th
N 0
yzngmapa Tradition 923
.
)
Path and Fruit which stem f h e precIOUS oral teaching of the [; h rom t e traditio f h .
act,t eexegesisofthestageof tO ns
lation School's Heruka G l per ectIOn found in the Ancient Tr:ns-
MO d hO apo, a tantra of th 1 f zn ,w Ich actually sets forth th e cyc e 0
Yangdak the
four obscurations, four paths fou; the four
four pulses, and four bodloe' B p systems, four deceases 'd s. ecause that IS d '
eVI ence has proven [the Path and F connected with this tantra
. so, valid rult] to be an esotenc Instruction
Again, there was the gre;t accom 10
tIOns directly from the Lord f , who could receIve prophetic declara-
whatever had to be done ThO ecret. s so make predictions about h' h V . . e esotenc Instruction h
w IC aJrapa1). i conferred on him . s on t e two stages path of the Great Perfection Th as an aural lIneage uphold the true great accomplished master re e Tsongkapa implored that
found view. The master asked doubts on the genuine, pro- Supreme Nectar-Elixir Dialogue of who delivered the
h aosNamkaGyeltsen,orLekiDoroe pIS edmaster? fLhodrakrenowned
says:
Z us- an bdud-rtsz sman-mchog), which
In order to attain the su rem r' '. .
of father Samantabhad:a th: whIch the Intention SamantabhadrI my th '0 heartfelt adVIce of mother
And also:
.
L Ikewlse:
. tIOn,
,-
highest' 1
and
the
-
. .
wn secret InJunc-
h
t roughtotherootsof . d' . .
es, t en cut '"
e vaJra- older's
pInnac e of the vehicl h
0
mIn s Inner radIance
o Leki Dorje! this, the em tess
fabricated by anyone It lOS P enbce? f awareness, was not
. wIt out aSlS unc d b'do from the very beginning W' h ,a 1 Ing
trivances about it, let it ri out con- attains buddhahood in th whoere It IS. DeVIatIOn then
.
e pnmordlally pure expanse. . .
This natural inner radiance is . . 0 emptiness, and yet spontaneousl Inseparable froI? ongInal
is unobstructed spirituality K y present. Its radIant aspect
without attaining to arises, cence. In its inseparabilit [f IS t at great coales- attained. . . y rom emptIness] buddhahood is
It says in the Elixir Drops ofthe C 0
(Phyag-na-rdo-rjeJi bskyed-rd bd Perfection of Vajrapani
zogs u -rtszJz thzg-pa): 0
Thhe deity of pristine cognition declared' T e unborn inc 0 bl .
I
,0ncelV a e expanse of reality
s ummpeded, unelaborate, and it appears as anything.
0
0 t at lIneage, are in
924
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. -
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 925 Let freedom from deeds and craving be your conduct;
And your result the abandonment of the wish to attain extrinsically
The buddha-body of reality, which is naturally within.
The eighty-four thousand doctrines of the vehicles, Their tantras, commentaries, and esoteric instructions Transcend what may be expressed;
But this drop of the nectar of esoteric instruction, Like refined and clarified butter,
Is the quintessence of all together.
As if it were lion's milk, the supreme essence, I offer it to you, Leki Dorje,
A supreme vessel, like a vase of gold. . .
This presents the doctrinal terminology of the Great Perfection with- out adulterating it with other philosophical systems. Hence, it was by this path that Leki Dorje obtained accomplishment. Above and beyond that, Je Guru [Tsongkapa himself], Tokden Jampel Gyamtso and others have explained that, except in the course of his presentations of the Madhyamaka and logical philosophies, the venerable Tsongkapa con- formed to the experiential cultivation of the Great Seal and Great Per- fection. This, in fact, can be learned by studying the Supreme Nectar- Elixir Dialogue, whereby his doubts on the view were resolved [when he queried] the great accomplished master Leki Dorje. This Dialogue by and large merits comparison with the Golden Rosary Dialogue from the Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)akinf(mkha'-'gro snying-thig-gi-zhus-lan gser-phreng). Had it been otherwise, Tsongkapa would not have had to rely upon that great accomplished master for merely the view that is an object of [intellectual] understanding, because his discernment with respect to conventional topics was as vast as the illumination of the sun and moon. Therefore, Jamgon Tsongkapa himself said:
In particular, when I received permission to write down the Supreme Elixir Dialogue, a Nectar Rosary, an esoteric instruc- tion which summarises the essence of the intention of the Conqueror and his sons, and which is the secret injunction of the sublime Vajrapa1). i, without interpolation, omission, or error, just as it was orally conferred by the Lord of Secrets, then:
The nectar-like speech of the Lord of Secrets Fulfilled the hopes of my mind.
I overcame the sickness of defilement,
And thought I had reached AlakavatI. 1296
Similarly, PaI). cen Lozang Ch6ki Gyeltsen wrote in his Guidebook to the Great Seal (phyag-chen-gyi khrid-yig):
Sarpsara n Whatever IS manliest In an
expanse. Moreover:
h'
lC g. r. l" of
d
,
0 different are primordIally pure. d of itselfdissolves in the unborn
h asp two be not destroye One will deviate from the medltatlVe cu tlvatlon
Ifdelusion's apparitions w
emptiness. .
If
Doctnnes appea Assertions that the five u
The five poisons to be Buddhahood to be obtaIned,
.
be not freed from mtellect,
rin dualistically cannot liberate you:
g b ddha-bodies are to be attaIned,
samsara to be renounced,
And . ref '
Are attachments to obtain value of the
If they're not cut 0 ff,yo
genuine nucleus. .
L k a blind man seeking the honzon, will wander forever in sarpsara's abodes.
Though you mentally hanker for that which surpasses the
intellect, l"b t you Mentally created doctrines cannot 1 era e d·
,,1295
. h" 11 ct's reach an range. "Theultimateisnot. WIt . mmbtefie . shedwiththoughtsand
The pinnacle of vehIcles IS to e 1111
finished with things.
1 even the term "awareness
"
Do not app Y . d the buddha-body of reality, Toyourownmm ,
Which is no substance. . . d Be absorbed in the indiscernible mm ,
. fness and compasslOn ,
Whose nucleus IS emp 1 thought and expression.
The transcendence of utterandce,
Be absorbed in the transcen ence 0
Be totally absorbed in freedom from deeds.
d proof"
t "be absorbed" is the intellect's
Bu . "absorbed" or una sor e , Without the conventlOnS . f ee analytical grounds,
Without words, or express. lOnsll' r 's stilled in the expanse.
Like clouds that m the sky. Not renouncing discurslVe th. oughts, They are pure where they anse.
. editation, conduct and result:
As for Vlew, m . d attraction your Vlew,
Make freedom ctualising your meditation; Destruction of subJectlve mte e
. 1 apparent mte ect 1 .
The ana ytlca , , d ' ection vanish m space,
1
Refutation, proof, an re)
f the 'intellect.
b
b d"
' .
The View ofthe Great Perfection 909
PelJikpa Kyopei Yi
The master Jfianaklrti also offers a d '
to the Real, beginning: etal1ed eXpOSItIOn In his Introduction
The other name for the M h
Of discriminative er,' thhe tfanscendenta1 perfection F " h ss, IS t e Great Seal
or It IS t e essential nature of undivided .
' " . , pnstme cognItIOn. . .
Therefore, in the actual teachin
perfection of discriminative
Great Seal. In the mantr IS sometimes referred to as the
of Supreme bliss resorts 0 bsecomes accomplished by means
emt' S e reat eal[orcoales f]b , ,P mess. 0 , except for the differe b ence 0
liss and IS somewhat incorrect to sa thatnee etween the,siitras and mantras, the vehicle of the siitras '1 I the <,:ireat Seal IS never expounded
IS taught in a curso . 1 ar y, whIle the nUcleus ofthe sugata1265 h ' ry manner on the path f h -
teac mg of the mantras th t' , 0 t e sutras, it is in the So it is that tho h a It IS greatly elaborated.
, se w 0 have clung onl t h '
meanmg, who have take ' y 0 t e Side of provisional
d n Interest merely in the t
an wh0 have been guided b s ructure ofconventions,
" .
_
g of, the sutras, the transcendental
y words [alone] have broadcast those
· . A Recti'ication ofMisconceptions
. ' . but . f i ] their own biased positlOns,
910 Hl,StOry.
h . , [which con irm d
scriptural aut onues
b ous transmitted precepts an Ynumer b
n down
their are tor the [Buddha's] intention. There have
een treatises which comment on l ' hi'ch did not get so far as they
3 Response to Critics of the "Sutra which Gathers All Intentions"
. d ofspecuaHon,w
many such b1m 11 1 k the power to refute by means 0
f
. d d which tota Y ac 1
were alme , a n . h valid reasoning. This muc
ill have sufficed as an examp e. w
[758. 2-764. 2] Now, [while some object] to the empowerment of the SUtra which Gathers All Intentions, which belongs to the transmitted precepts of the Nyingmapa (rnying-ma bka'-ma mdo-dbang), and reveals empowerment ceremonies for the three causal vehicles,1266 the Hevajra Tantra (Pt. 2, Ch. 8, vv. 9-10c) says:
First you should grant the vow; Then, teach the philosophy, And likewise the Sautrantika philosophy; Later teach the Yogacara itself,
And afterwards the Madhyamaka philosophy.
Then, after the entire sequence of the mantras is known, One should teach Hevajra.
In accord with this exposition, which conforms to a sequential pro- gression through the vehicles, and because the central path ofall vehicles is revealed in full here in the mantra path, the three causal vehicles are seized by the skilful means of the mantras. At that time they sublimely surpass the attributes of their own levels and indeed become the swift path, just as the attitudes and applications of the vows of the lesser vehicle, when seized by an enlightened attitude, are trans- formed into the vows of the greater vehicle, the attributes of which sublimely surpass those of the lower ones. Therefore, this is the special real reason [for the empowerments of the causal vehicles in connection with the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions].
Moreover, the term "empowerment" is actually revealed [in the causal vehicles]; for in the Three Hundred Verses [on the VinayaJ the vows of the novitiate are termed "empowerment":
The moral discipline of renunciation removes suffering, Destroys the real roots of viewing the perishable as self, And vanquishes mundane glory and flower-arrowed Kama. It is the empowerment granting the glory of perfect
enlightenment.
912 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
In general, empowerment is understood in this way: When universal
monarchs are crowned, they are anointed with water from a jewelled
vase and given benedictions by the brahmans, whereby they are em-
powered with dominion over the realm with its seven precious things
and so forth. Similarly, when a bodhisattva who has arrived at the end
of the stream of the tenth level on the path of sutras is about to become
1268
of the tathagatas of the ten directions and vanish into the crown of that spiritual warrior. This is termed the "empowerment of light rays". 1269 In fact, no matter what path one enters, the consecration of the buddhas is the means by which one is empowered in its view, meditation, conduct, and result, and so is denoted as an "empowerment". It says in the
Siltra of the Descent to Lanka (Ch. 2, XL):
Mahamati! moreover, bodhisattvas who have been blessed with two blessings come before the feet of the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas and ask all their questions. With which two blessings, one might ask, are they blessed? It is so that they are blessed with the blessing of balanced contemplative absorption and with the blessing of the em- powerments conferred by all the bodies, faces, and arms [of the buddhas].
Thereat, Mahamati! bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors are blessed with the blessing of the buddhas from [the time of their attainment of] the first level,1270 and become equipoised in the contemplation of the bodhisattvas, which is called "Illumination of the Greater Vehicle". As soon as those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors become equi- poised in the bodhisattvas' contemplation of the "Illumina- tion of the Greater Vehicle", the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas who reside in the ten directions of the uni- verse reveal themselves. They genuinely reveal all their bodies, faces, and discourses. In this way, Mahamati! they appropriately bless the bodhisattva, great spiritual warrior Vajragarbha and other great bodhisattvas endowed with sim- ilar characteristics.
So it is, Mahamati! that the bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors on the first level attain the blessing to become equipoised in contemplation. Through the fundamental vir- tues accumulated during all of a hundred thousand aeons, they finally thoroughly realise the characteristics that are allied to the levels, or opposed to them. Then, on the bodhisattva level called "Cloud of Doctrine", the hands of the conquerors extend from the ten directions of the universe towards those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who,
The Siltra which Gathers Al '
seated in the Great L P lIntentzons 913
with all the most o:lace, wearing crowns adorned rounded by bOdhisattvas r are completely sur- selves. With [hands eat warriors like them-
a buddha,1267 then light rays emanate from the ilnJakesa
whom reside in the G eat Lgreat splntual warriors all of
I' htouch IS] lIke orpiment,I271 gold on Ig t, and lotu h ' empower those bodhisattvas ' t e conquerors
their heads, in the ma: fotus Palace, on the of
Indraraja Because th ner 0 lords, universal monarchs or . ey are emp d '
faces, and hands of the buddh owere by all the bodies
campaka flowers mo ,
bodhisattvas are said t b hand empowerment. 0
e
bts, that bOdhisattva and essed by the blessing of the
And:
For the following reasons Mah- "
arhats, utterly perfect b d'dh
amatl. do the tathagatas as bless b dh' , ' , 0 Isattvas, great
become aware fior th IOn1an ,evel of the pious attendants' , emseYes md' 'd 11 ' the tathagatas; and so that th " ua y, of the level of
teries increase. Maha " b elr doctrines and mas- , rnatl. odhlsattvas ' ,
nors who are not so bl d I' ' great splntual war- , esse s Ide back int h '
extremIsts, pious attendants and _ 0 t e attItUdes of
the unsurpassed and auth ' Mara. They do not attain
buddhahood. For reas enthlc, perfect enlightenment of
. , onssuc asthese th b '
great splntual warriors are f: ' e odhlsattvas
, , , u
splntual warnors with th 'bl be disturbed by the d fil elr
essmg: m order that they not back into the :nd deeds ofMara; not slide
utterly perfect bUddh
as.
avoured by the tathagatas, arhats' ,
As has stated abundantIY in such
that a bodhIsattva who has attain d h
' ,
passages, It IS indisputable
fievel] must attain buddhahood b e end of the stream [of the tenth
g
ore, ,provisionally, the pious airereJm upon empowerment. There-
bodhlsattvas are empowered to buddhas, and and because, ultimatel te medItatIVely their respective of the greater vehicle seized by the enlightened ,self-centred bUddhas 'f ve IC es of] the pious attendants
nISclence, For this especially cr lSWI t paths, to the attainment of om- and all-kn ' UCla reason VaJradh k l l '
th . Owmg, has given such tea h' M at, WIthout relying on the th ,c mg.
ara, sled m means oreover, When it is taught
passed [Yogatantra], 1272 the of the Unsur- merely by means of the tantras f 0: VaJradhara cannot be attained is, in point of fact, much t e Outer of mantras, what is e Sutras those [empowerment e same as thIS, for, on the path of
erment, or blessing, of great are cO,ncealed, and only the empow- rays IS spoken of.
4 Response to Critics of the "Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus"
[764. 2-770. 6] Moreover, because Go Lhetse did not receive the teachings he had requested from the lord of the doctrine, Zurpoche, he nursed a grudge, due to which, after travelling to India, he reported that the Nyingmapa tantras were not to be found in India. 1273 He censured the glorious Secret Nucleus for four faults, et cetera, were occasionally repeated by some Tibetans. 1274 None the less, just going to India [and finding that] they were unknown in a few districts does not disprove the ancient translations. The Great Perfection and other exceedingly profound tantrapi! aka were only transmitted through unique lineages directly from mouth to ear. Beyond that, not even written texts were made. As nothing at all of those instructions remained behind, it may well be true that he neither saw, nor heard ofthem; for India was without this sort of Tibetan custom, whereby the doctrines of the secret mantra are given publicly, even to dogs and mice. Nevertheless, when one such as the "sole divine master" Dlparpkara [Atisa], who was renowned for his great learning in the mantras throughout India, saw the Indian manu- scripts at the Pehar Kordzoling [at Samye] in Tibet, his scholarly arrogance was shattered because many tantrapi! aka were preserved there which he had never heard of or seen before. As that story is clearly set forth in the biography of master Atisa himself, it is of no importance that an ordinary person such as Lhetse did not see those [tantras in India]. As a further illustration, one may note that one Orgyenpa Rincenpel, who meandered like a river all the way to O<;l<;liyana in the west, and who could powerfully transform the vision ofothers, said that he did not see an end to the mantras which appeared in the human world . 1275
Likewise, the lie that the Secret Nucleus had been composed in Tibet was betrayed by an actual Indian manuscript, which came into the possession ofComden Rikpei Reldri, the great paQ<;lita SakyasrI, Tharpa Lotsawa, Golo Zhonupel, Shage Lotsawa, et cetera. Rikpei Reldri, in particular, who was supremely learned in the later translations and was a great rectifier of the teaching, said in his Proof of the Secret Nucleus (gsang-snying sgrub-pa): 1276
sally as the diverse buddh b d ) o a- 0 ry)
e appears unzver- speech and mind.
'.
ThIs tantra IS genuine for the foIl .
Commentary on the Glori G h In the Great
pa'i 'grel-chen T 1844) ous u ryasamaja (dpalgsang-ba 'dus- . h ' composedbyth . /
In t e course of his com e master VIsvamitra th B. mentsonthepas "H ' e emg of Pristine Cogn't' sage ow far does
. . IIOnreach ;J" h S
IS cIted as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3): . . . . t e ecret Nucleus
In the abode o fAkanistha . h
in the limitless ground' h . out or centre,
pristine cognition ther, u: lC IS the. radIant wheel of
forth with thejOew) l . : IS celestzalpalace blazing e s OJ pnstme coan °t 0
uninterrupted throu h h completely gout t e ten dIrectIOns. . .
And also eCh. 1, v. 6):
In every inconceivable [world] h 0 0
IS based on insubstantiality
. . . ,
"hg '. SUbstantIal existence
f, d l [mal],. a a].
e Spontaneously present
The Root Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus
915
Then, m commenting on the as
? e known to be the palatial b X The Stiipa should
It as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3):
a 0
"
eo all buddhas. . . ," he cites
The spire is the p . t'
which all o;:hCOfllIOn central to all) in tions w °th e of the ten direc-
from one another out are not distinct ) are OJ a smgle essence.
! hen, commenting on the passa e " .
e gIves (Ch. 2 . IS Won erful marvellous realit
v 6)- ' . .
EmaholTh' d
Is secret o f all perfect buddhas Allzs created from the uncreated . A t creation itself there is no crea;ion.
Then, while ex 1. .
"Th P ammg the meaning of "
e Secret NUcleus s eak
Moreover, he quotes th p s of fi. ve empowerments. ,,1277
. epassagebegmning(Ch. 6, vv. 9-11)·
Thezr [colours] are blue White y II . ) ) e ow) scarlet
up to:
{-IPer:vasive] without extremes or centre [" t IS an unthinkabl j )
And he says "A d'
three realitie;. " CCor mg to the Secret NUcleus, there are
In these and all other such 0
by mentioning the title S Nmstances Visvamitra begins
ecret ucleus.
00
Y
"
secret he says,
916
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . ,
With such well-wrought arguments, [Rikpei Reldri's work] estab- lishes, in the manner of a teaching dialogue, [the authenticity of the Secret Nucleus], having cited quotations from this tantra in the great treatises that were famed in India, along with many commentaries by the masters mentioned above. You should examine it, for it is clearly valid!
For such reasons, the great pal). gita Sakya Chokden has said:1280
It is not necessary to prove laboriously that
The Nyingmapa doctrines were translated from Indian
originals.
It is enough that they are proven to be
The teaching of the emanational master [Padmasambhava]. Although they do not conform with the mantras and symbols Of those translated from India later on,
The proof of their validity is infallible accomplishment Through their supreme and common attainment.
They may be compared with the doctrines taken
By supreme accomplished masters from various great lands, And which were not translated in India
From their respective volumes;
For it is said that with Va;rasattva's consent
The compilers of those transmitted precepts
Were themselves permitted to teach them
In the language of each different country.
The Nyingmapa doctrinal traditions that definitely were Translated from India require no proof.
Having formulated arguments one might prove
The indefinite ones to be treatises,1281
But the great ones who came before in Tibet, Discovering this to be an artificial, conceptual path,
Have avoided wandering upon it,
As they themselves have explained.
This reasoned argument appears to be a learned axiom, when scrutinised fairly. In general, a doctrine is no more important merely because it originated in India. A distinction of good and bad treatises on the basis of country is not known in learned circles. If the author was one who was abiding on the level of accomplishment, the treatises composed by him should be valid. So, it is proven that whether they originated in India or Tibet makes no difference. Sometimes, too, Tibetan treatises are better than Indian treatises. One should regard as reliable those composed by accomplished Tibetans, whose pristine cognition was manifest, rather than those written by ordinary Indian scholars, who based themselves on learning in grammar and logic.
tera [criticised by Go The four perverse fau ts, et ce , b ' n with the
1
1 b rejected' [When texts egi
Lhetse), are a so to e d d is traditionally held to mean words) Thus I have be buddhas themselves, for it that they. were compi e y th level bodhisattvas to compile
h
is for even t be As it says in the Verification
all the teachlllgs of the u t ' Saroruha as a commentary of Secrets, by mas er
on the Guhyasama}a:
Most masters claim
That the most radiant The glorious Guhyasama}a,
Had as its compiler
The warrior called Lokesvara.
But by the kindness of my guru
I know that the compiler of the glonous
Guhyasamaja
Could not have been any other; .
And so the being who propounded It
Was that tantra's author, . The indestructible reality of mllld.
r
In accord with this explanation, is a tradition whereby
h' self is the complIer.
the exponent 1m bl nd" the Abhidharma, too,
As for the "immeasura e grou
. A k ' tha is immeasurable.
explains . . Visvamitra's Great Commentary ConcernIng the four tlmes_. . J s. "Thus the fourth time [on the Glorious Guhyasama}a say. " the phrase,
should be known to be . ' also found By all the lords of ten l:hat it refers
in the new translatlOns. u a
to the four aeons. . , earance at the centre [of the Regarding Valrasattva s app . ex lain that the
mandala], even the new translatlOnS p . . 1278 . . . . h dala may change pOSltlOns.
foremost figure In t e mat. :l. Th
. a or final punctuation
. Concernlllg
e vlsarg J I the dlscnmznatzve a
k (. )
mar s tlg
t
h passage
e . . ' . . wareness
through
•
whIch
f h
15) the Indian manuscript 0 t e names are applted v . . ti 1279 Siltri (thread) is the Secret Nucleus reads ') Suryaprabhasirpha's
Sanskrit word for thlg lllJe [tig as being Commentary [on the Secret uc
. ) h' Tig is an archaiClsm. . h equlvalent to t 19. [which is found In t e
As for the reference to other later on, such as Secret Nucleus): all the tanthras;xp ation of the Real which
the Hevajra, also refer to t e umm had been delivered first.
The Root Tantra o/the Secret Nucleus 917
5 The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition, and its Impact on the Other Schools
[771. 1-786. 4] Furthermore, in the period following the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, one called the "Red Master" and another called the "Blue-skirted Pa1).
<:iita" came from India to Tibet, where, for the sake of riches and honour, they propagated practices involving public orgies and slaughter in the villages. 1282 Because many Tibetans entered their following, Lha Lama, uncle and nephew, as well as the translator Rincen Zangpo and others explained, in the epistles of re- futation which they authored in order to prevent harm to the teaching, that these were perversions of the mantra tradition. 1283 The translators of the new schools repeatedly declared, in order to prove the greatness of their own doctrines, that the transmitted precepts of the way of the secret mantra according to the Ancient Translation School had been polluted, owing to which ill-informed persons were carried off on the stretcher of doubt. But, in fact, it may be known from the preceding history how the continuous blessings of this succession of tantras,
transmissions, and esoteric instructions have been preserved without decline.
In brief, when the doctrine was persecuted by Langdarma all the dialectical seminaries were destroyed, but the hermitages of the mantra tradition survived somewhat in mountainous ravines, caves, and so forth. For that reason, and in accord with the promise which Langdarma himself made to Nupcen [po 612], the mantrins were never harmed at all. During those times a multitude of excellent awareness-holders, who had mastery over the two accomplishments, continued to maintain the teaching of the three inner classes of tantra. Their number included Nyangben Tingdzin Zangpo, Ngenlam Cangcup Gyeitsen, most of the eight glorious disciples ofNyak Jfianakumara, Nupcen and his disciples, Rok Sakya Jungne, and Deshek Zurpoche.
As for how the supreme and common accomplishments were visibly disclosed, without fail, by those who experientially cultivated the tantras of the Ancient Translation School and the esoteric instructions com- posed by those who dwelt on the great level of the awareness-holders:
The Continuity ofth N .
there were . e yzngmapa Tradition 919
. seven sUccessIve generations f . .
Mipham Gonpo, who did so b 0 beginning with
C l a s s o f t h e G r e a t P e r f e c t i o n y o f t h e m s t r u c t i o n s o f t h e the lmeage which passed from seven generations in and so on, whose physical bodies df Zangpo to Dangma,
m o
hat was left behind n'0 1 ,earht quakes and various other miracles'
' argert anacub·t b . asses consisting of the five . 1 '. ecame [after cremation]
. .
mstructIOns on inner radiance e pat of the esoteric
the Supreme transformation b ssolved mto the rainbow body
, Ymeansofth h ' as many who emerged Innermost Spirituality;1284 as well
:vho had the discipline to as the three ancestral Zurs, mto space. e ead, and who bodily vanished
It is impossible, too to enu
rainbow body by the ;aths f all those who passed into the Perfection, as exemplified b e profound treasures of the Great
and the Northern [Treasure; of Perna Lingpa] late age, this may still be illustrated during this year, fifteenth cycle) the lord xample, m. 1883/4 (water
RIkdzm Perna DtidUl van· h d . among accomplIshed masters h h· ,ISemthebod f1·h1285 '
W en IS personal disciple the t fi y 0
. , r e a sure- mder R
1· h
Into Ig t. What was left
It can stIll be seen today D · h sIze, was taken to Dokam where d·. . unngtatsame . d '
of the great treasure-finder D. . . there were thirteen
rambow body 1286 F h UJom Lmgpa who attained th
. Urtermorever 1 e have been many Whom I rem 'b y c ose to the present day, there
h d· em er, Who were . . . . 1
Issolved into the rainbow bod . y perceived to
theIr bodies behind: Lingtsang Dza : leavmg even a trace of (wood pig year, sixteenth cYcle)-lfs7 rashl Ozer of? okam in 1935/6 Gyeltsen,in1937/8(fireoxyear). 1288f111follo;ed by hIS regent, Lodro
away at Mmdroling his remaI· . .
Ig t. Afterwards · k · ' angn DorJe, passed
b h·
. e md, . which was about six inches i n .
'ns
Namgyel in 1952/3 (water drago'n 0 by Derge Yilungpa Sonam In dd·· year
a ltIOn, one cannot number th . . . . .
the treasure-finder Dtijom Lin a. Do_se. Tnme Ozer, the Son of Wangmo; the Zhecen Gyeltsa g p , . aki Kunzang Chonyi Dekyong
Namgyel; the great
enpel NYIma· Cadrel K·· P ngwa, Gemang II, Thupwang T d· ' unga elden· L·
en zm; the great preceptor of D 1 ' ;ngter III, Gyurme Perna my . own supreme guides the zo (cen, ema Thekcok Loden; and Doqe; Khyapdak Gyurme'N d treasure-finder Zilnon Namkei
lampel Dewei Nyima Th . O? angpo; and the lord of the circle by sound bodies mostly vanished into light'
There were also
remams and relIcs. very many [Nying
oflearning, such as Rong masters] who traversed the
Ing of the doctrine, Longcen Ram. Chokl Zangpo and the all-knowing
level such as that of Naga- . Who planted their feet on a
rJuna and Asanga th
, e Supreme adornments
vanIshed
Diijom Lingpa
good [liberation]. 1291 The buddhas and bodhisattvas have acted solely as physicians on behalf of other sentient beings. With this intention the supremely learned Go Lotsawa Zhonupel has said [in the Blue Annals, p. 203]:
In general, after the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, there was not a single ordained monk in Central Tibet and Tsang for more than seventy years. However, there were many Nyingmapa mantra adepts who blessed their respective homelands with their distinctive practices. The householders had faith in them, delighted them with food and clothing, et cetera, and occasionally received the vase empowerment alone, whereby their minds gradually matured. Consequently, when those known as the six or eight men from Central Tibet and Tsang, [namely,] Lume and the others, arrived, countless temples and monastic com- munities were founded in every province and district. It became possible to enjoy, without decline, the transmitted precepts and treatises which had been translated in the past, during the time of the king and his ministers. Moreover, most of the many learned and accomplished individuals who appeared originated from the lineages of the Nyingmapa accomplished masters.
Just so, apart from some esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection which were composed by Indian masters such as Indrabhl1ti, Buddha- jfianapada, and Naropa, and which were dispersed throughout Tibet, most of the treatises, and so forth, composed by other accomplished masters were not even translated into Tibetan. These masters, being determined to preserve secrecy, would not leave even a trace of their supremely profound, esoteric instructions behind. So, let alone the issue of public teaching, because even the books were by and large sealed to be kept invisible, they could only be revealed in utter secrecy to one sole supremely fortunate disciple. So it was that, for example, Phamthingpa was familiar with Ndropd's Sky-farer (nd-ro mkha'-spyod), the mere name of which Marpa had never heard. Likewise, there are accounts [which hold that] the great pa1)9ita SakyasrI received VajrakIla from the great master Padmasambhava himself, and that Phadampa Sangye maintained the Great Perfection as his profoundest commitment. At a later date, the great accomplished master Santigupta received the transmitted exegeses, empowerments, and esoteric intructions of many tantrapitaka from master Padmasambhava in person. Santigupta's dis- ciples who came to Tibet related that he also propagated them in Draviga and other countries. 1292 In addition, there was the Great Perfection which Zhang Yudrakpa received directly from the master Padmasam-
bhava, the bodhisattva and Vimalamitra.
whose sublime intellects were fearless in the
. .
beautIfY1ng Jambudv1pa, d. . f th Sugata's doctrinal tradition. In encounter with t? e profun °the Medical Tantras (gso-dpyad
_
the ast:ee translator Vairocana, have
Yr·
rgyud-bzhz), translate
provided great sustenance for with] pro-
Moreover, [the traf deeds by means of the four found means for the 0 enrichment subjugation, and rites of enlightened actIvity: have famed for their wrath. Therefore, when some of h e been afflicted with most
greatness throughout the Land of t refuge directly or in- fearsome circumstances, they have a. 0 T lation'School. This is
. h C' 11 rs of the Anc1ent rans
directly, with t e 10 . owe . hou h Sakya Pa1)9ita cou
ld verified by direct eV1dence: for t theglatter began to fly into
defeat Haranandin through ·th the gnostic mantra of . D awhoboun1mW1 . ht
the sky 1t was arcarw h ld think how far-reaching IS t a VajrakHa. 1290 This being so, one \ ned activity associated with the teaching, which is possessed of en Ig fe . t nce] and the definitively
manifestly elevated [higher realms 0 eXlS e
atures
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 921
920
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
922 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
When the venerable Milarepa first received the Mental Class of the Great Perfection from Nup Khulungpa he could not become equipoised in awareness itself, and for the time being the doctrine and the individual seemed to go their own ways. 1293 Finally, on the basis of the venerable Marpa ofLhodrak's [teaching ofthe] inner heat, he attained accomplish- ment on the path of the Great Perfection, whereby all thoughts, all things are exhausted. This can be demonstrated by one of his own songs of indestructible reality, in which he says:
Stabbed in front by the Great Perfection, Stabbed in the back by the Great Seal,
I vomit the blood of instruction. . .
The venerable Karma Pakshi [Karmapa II], who had been Garap Dorje's disciple Toktsewa, remembered that previous life in which he had comprehended the six million four hundred thousand verses of the Great Perfection. Owing to this, and to his study of the Great Perfection under Katokpa Campabum, and so on, he obtained accomplishment. The all-knowing Rangjung Dorje [Karmapa III] asserted himself to be the emanation of Vimalamitra and, having become the master of the teaching of the Innermost Spirituality, brought forth treasures of inten- tion as well. The great accomplished master Orgyenpa, the venera9le Gotsangpa, Yang-gonpa and others who realised sarpsura and nirvu1). a to be of the same savour [i. e. the adherents of the Drukpa Kagyti tradition] obtained accomplishment in the expanse of the Great Perfection, no matter upon which path they provisionally relied. [To affirm this] one should examine the innermost assertions of their respective intentions.
The glorious Sakyapa all attained accomplishment by relying upon the tradition of the ancient translations that was derived from the lineage of Khon Ltiiwangpo,1294 a direct disciple of master Padmasambhava; and Yangdak and VajrakIla were both adopted as the vital meditational deities of the Sakyapa. During that age, when those Tibetans with arrogant presumptions to scholarship sought to smear the ancient trans- lations, Yangdak and Vajrakfla were effulgently protected by their [Sakyapa] doctrine masters, who revered them for their purity and so had occasion to cause [their critics] to erase what they had written. The doctrine master Lama Tampa [Sonam Gyeltsen] attained manifest signs [of accomplishment] by relying on Vajrakfla, and he composed a recen- sion of it. In particular, the supreme holders of the Sakyapa teaching tradition, from Dakcen Lodro GyeItsen to Ktinpang Doringpa, Choje Tsharpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangcuk, et cetera, were directly or in- directly favoured and blessed by the great master Padmasambhava. Consequently, there were many who obtained accomplishment by the paths of the Ancient Translation School, including the Great Perfection. They can be known from their individual biographies and so forth, but it will not be possible to mention them [all] here.
The Continuity 01'th M 'J e
oreOver, even the instructions of th
N 0
yzngmapa Tradition 923
.
)
Path and Fruit which stem f h e precIOUS oral teaching of the [; h rom t e traditio f h .
act,t eexegesisofthestageof tO ns
lation School's Heruka G l per ectIOn found in the Ancient Tr:ns-
MO d hO apo, a tantra of th 1 f zn ,w Ich actually sets forth th e cyc e 0
Yangdak the
four obscurations, four paths fou; the four
four pulses, and four bodloe' B p systems, four deceases 'd s. ecause that IS d '
eVI ence has proven [the Path and F connected with this tantra
. so, valid rult] to be an esotenc Instruction
Again, there was the gre;t accom 10
tIOns directly from the Lord f , who could receIve prophetic declara-
whatever had to be done ThO ecret. s so make predictions about h' h V . . e esotenc Instruction h
w IC aJrapa1). i conferred on him . s on t e two stages path of the Great Perfection Th as an aural lIneage uphold the true great accomplished master re e Tsongkapa implored that
found view. The master asked doubts on the genuine, pro- Supreme Nectar-Elixir Dialogue of who delivered the
h aosNamkaGyeltsen,orLekiDoroe pIS edmaster? fLhodrakrenowned
says:
Z us- an bdud-rtsz sman-mchog), which
In order to attain the su rem r' '. .
of father Samantabhad:a th: whIch the Intention SamantabhadrI my th '0 heartfelt adVIce of mother
And also:
.
L Ikewlse:
. tIOn,
,-
highest' 1
and
the
-
. .
wn secret InJunc-
h
t roughtotherootsof . d' . .
es, t en cut '"
e vaJra- older's
pInnac e of the vehicl h
0
mIn s Inner radIance
o Leki Dorje! this, the em tess
fabricated by anyone It lOS P enbce? f awareness, was not
. wIt out aSlS unc d b'do from the very beginning W' h ,a 1 Ing
trivances about it, let it ri out con- attains buddhahood in th whoere It IS. DeVIatIOn then
.
e pnmordlally pure expanse. . .
This natural inner radiance is . . 0 emptiness, and yet spontaneousl Inseparable froI? ongInal
is unobstructed spirituality K y present. Its radIant aspect
without attaining to arises, cence. In its inseparabilit [f IS t at great coales- attained. . . y rom emptIness] buddhahood is
It says in the Elixir Drops ofthe C 0
(Phyag-na-rdo-rjeJi bskyed-rd bd Perfection of Vajrapani
zogs u -rtszJz thzg-pa): 0
Thhe deity of pristine cognition declared' T e unborn inc 0 bl .
I
,0ncelV a e expanse of reality
s ummpeded, unelaborate, and it appears as anything.
0
0 t at lIneage, are in
924
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. -
The Continuity ofthe Nyingmapa Tradition 925 Let freedom from deeds and craving be your conduct;
And your result the abandonment of the wish to attain extrinsically
The buddha-body of reality, which is naturally within.
The eighty-four thousand doctrines of the vehicles, Their tantras, commentaries, and esoteric instructions Transcend what may be expressed;
But this drop of the nectar of esoteric instruction, Like refined and clarified butter,
Is the quintessence of all together.
As if it were lion's milk, the supreme essence, I offer it to you, Leki Dorje,
A supreme vessel, like a vase of gold. . .
This presents the doctrinal terminology of the Great Perfection with- out adulterating it with other philosophical systems. Hence, it was by this path that Leki Dorje obtained accomplishment. Above and beyond that, Je Guru [Tsongkapa himself], Tokden Jampel Gyamtso and others have explained that, except in the course of his presentations of the Madhyamaka and logical philosophies, the venerable Tsongkapa con- formed to the experiential cultivation of the Great Seal and Great Per- fection. This, in fact, can be learned by studying the Supreme Nectar- Elixir Dialogue, whereby his doubts on the view were resolved [when he queried] the great accomplished master Leki Dorje. This Dialogue by and large merits comparison with the Golden Rosary Dialogue from the Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)akinf(mkha'-'gro snying-thig-gi-zhus-lan gser-phreng). Had it been otherwise, Tsongkapa would not have had to rely upon that great accomplished master for merely the view that is an object of [intellectual] understanding, because his discernment with respect to conventional topics was as vast as the illumination of the sun and moon. Therefore, Jamgon Tsongkapa himself said:
In particular, when I received permission to write down the Supreme Elixir Dialogue, a Nectar Rosary, an esoteric instruc- tion which summarises the essence of the intention of the Conqueror and his sons, and which is the secret injunction of the sublime Vajrapa1). i, without interpolation, omission, or error, just as it was orally conferred by the Lord of Secrets, then:
The nectar-like speech of the Lord of Secrets Fulfilled the hopes of my mind.
I overcame the sickness of defilement,
And thought I had reached AlakavatI. 1296
Similarly, PaI). cen Lozang Ch6ki Gyeltsen wrote in his Guidebook to the Great Seal (phyag-chen-gyi khrid-yig):
Sarpsara n Whatever IS manliest In an
expanse. Moreover:
h'
lC g. r. l" of
d
,
0 different are primordIally pure. d of itselfdissolves in the unborn
h asp two be not destroye One will deviate from the medltatlVe cu tlvatlon
Ifdelusion's apparitions w
emptiness. .
If
Doctnnes appea Assertions that the five u
The five poisons to be Buddhahood to be obtaIned,
.
be not freed from mtellect,
rin dualistically cannot liberate you:
g b ddha-bodies are to be attaIned,
samsara to be renounced,
And . ref '
Are attachments to obtain value of the
If they're not cut 0 ff,yo
genuine nucleus. .
L k a blind man seeking the honzon, will wander forever in sarpsara's abodes.
Though you mentally hanker for that which surpasses the
intellect, l"b t you Mentally created doctrines cannot 1 era e d·
,,1295
. h" 11 ct's reach an range. "Theultimateisnot. WIt . mmbtefie . shedwiththoughtsand
The pinnacle of vehIcles IS to e 1111
finished with things.
1 even the term "awareness
"
Do not app Y . d the buddha-body of reality, Toyourownmm ,
Which is no substance. . . d Be absorbed in the indiscernible mm ,
. fness and compasslOn ,
Whose nucleus IS emp 1 thought and expression.
The transcendence of utterandce,
Be absorbed in the transcen ence 0
Be totally absorbed in freedom from deeds.
d proof"
t "be absorbed" is the intellect's
Bu . "absorbed" or una sor e , Without the conventlOnS . f ee analytical grounds,
Without words, or express. lOnsll' r 's stilled in the expanse.
Like clouds that m the sky. Not renouncing discurslVe th. oughts, They are pure where they anse.
. editation, conduct and result:
As for Vlew, m . d attraction your Vlew,
Make freedom ctualising your meditation; Destruction of subJectlve mte e
. 1 apparent mte ect 1 .
The ana ytlca , , d ' ection vanish m space,
1
Refutation, proof, an re)
f the 'intellect.
b
b d"
' .
