Still, all her associates will be
conveyed
to the level of
supreme bliss,
And will obtain enlightenment, not leaving a trace of their
bodies.
supreme bliss,
And will obtain enlightenment, not leaving a trace of their
bodies.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
.
t uctlOnS .
h hundred and eight esotenc .
1ns r treasure troves, W1t
This was the first of the e1ghteen g h· h he obtained, and wh1ch are
. · of the mind treasure, w 1C the add1Hon . .
forth in this mnemon1c. (. . . ) set (. . ) Tamdrinzhap 111,
(. ) dTrakmar 11, .
Namkecen 1, an T d·n (v) Entseigo (V1), (. ) nd amn, . )
d· (viii) Dromcola (lX ,
Monkateng 1V ,
. h· (vn) Tam n n , . . )
KhoY1S 1nmar , . (. ) Caktepma (xn ,
Sekar (x), Kyawophuknng Mon Bumthang (xv), Samye Arya (xiii), Cakpur (X1V),( . . ) Hawo Kang (xviii),
. ) Rong Rock xvn,
Tsiki Temple (XV1 , uine treasure (xix)
And the self-concealed, gen h er of propensities. Ch·· ang by t e pow
Came to me, ow ,
h
Furthermore, when he t 0
there were most witnessed by fortunate persons.
wondrous on the lords of the Generally, he impose. o. at sd fortunate and worthy persons to 0 . Otherwise, he . disputable.
Therefore, all his out whatever treasures you
His father heard of th1S s
,
. the copper amulet-boxes, h1S
d ·d "Read the catalogue 0
e said to have discovered.
ar Ch. . g hande
over
f ontents aloud. "
When Guru owan
c . "W 't there a book called f h r sa1d asn
. .
father sal ,
He read it and, agam, h1S Alone, Liberates All
the Buddhasamayoga . Tantr; w. _ hes kun-grol)? Read that to me· d as mnyam-sbyor-gyl rgyu gag s be inning, his father declare , rgyWhen he had read the ta,ntra I have given you not
"Now I understand. That s enoug. dditional disputes later no
just a little advice. if that treasure of more dead words w1ll come 0 : fulfilment. It is und1sputa. y
d to any expectations of rum or h knower of the three Hmes. an en . of the great Orgyen, t e . nes however pro-
transm1tted precept Idonotneedtohopenow
for other treasure doctn ,
. h· h ears dunng w 1C
[comes from] forty y , . hed urus
found.
"The advice I have for. you f 11 the learned and accomplis. g d
I have gathered the through conceptual . the four quarters 0 1 , . h round and root 0 sa. . t h a t t h i s m i n d a l o n e 1 S t ; s g y o u w i l l b y a l l m e a n s
. - Now ifyoulistentomywor. , Great Compasswnate ne of the Guru, Great perfectwn'e:::a bit of attention to sorcery
above all else. Besides that, do not pay
an
ut those treasures
Guru Choki Wangcuk 765
766
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Guru Chdki Wangcuk 767
The highest path of all is service to others. Whoever grows weary of this
Lengthens the path to enlightenment.
Then Guru Rinpoche said to him, "Do not hanker after t? is place. If you do, there is a danger that you will transfer . from one hfetIme to the next. " At that moment Guru Chowang was raIsed by what seemed to be a globe of light and arrived back home in an instant. In 1240
(iron male mouse year) the army of the Mongol Dorta the Black arrived,
three times appeared. Should I also cancel this business of going to India? "
Guru . Chowang replied, "If a buddha were to arise who did not wander In sa111sara he would be an extremist! Go to India. Ifyou find a guru, the guru. If you find disciples, educate the disciples. " To Bharo It seemed that this advice was exceedingly fine.
Again, this Newar, Bharo, was a person of very great faith whose propensities had awakened: Looking at the guru's hips he saw the eyes of a wrathful deity; he saw him discuss the doctrine with dakinls and
and the future was clearly established.
The truest of Guru Chowang's disciples was one Bharo TsukdzIn
from Kathmandu in Nepal. 1010 On his way to Tibet in search of gold he had received a prophetic declaration from a c;UikinI saying he would meet the Guru himself. For seven days he actually perceIved Guru Chowang to be Orgyen. Just by hearing the master's speech
realisation arose. One evening, while giving an empowerment, Guru
Chowang said to him, "How do you see me? "
"I actually see the meditational deity," replied Bharo.
"Well then, there is no other to whom to offer the feast and the
. ,
which'included half the carcass of a Bharal sheep,
tormas " So saying Chowang consumed the offerings for the feast,
In an Instant.
"Now, how do you see me? " he asked.
"The Buddha is actually present," was Bharo's answer.
"Well then, I shall empower you! " At that, he gathered up the
ments of worship, broke up the ma1). 9ala, and began to dance In place it had been. Knowing that the constitution and attitudes of hIS worthy disciple were those of one whose conduct was free from accept- ance and rejection, and who was fearless with respect to the
commitments of indestructible reality, Guru Chowang sent forth V cana from the great ma1). 9ala of his indestructible body, from the dIVIne gateway, in the form of great fragrance [excrement] and gave the empowerment. Bharo's experience was like that a
off its slough. Similarly, from the swift, secret path of hIS v. a)ra, Chowang poured Amoghasiddhi onto the tip of Bharo's tongu. e In of perfume [urine] and Bharo blazed with the all-surpassIng, pnstIne cog-
. . f . 'bl bll'SS 1012
mtIon 0 IncorruptI e, supreme . .
The master then poked Bharo's heart with his finger, and Said,
"Recognise this so-called'! '. "
Bharo's clinging to objects vanished like mist. .
"Do not deviate from the significance of seeing this'! '. There IS not
so much as a hair there on which to meditate! "
When the master said that, Bharo developed an gr. eat
realisation of the Great Perfection, free from activity and Extraordinary certainty was born within him. "Now", he Said, "I would not think to request empowerment even if the buddhas of the
and took [the rabbit's
1009 so on. Thus, he only saw the guru in pure visions. Once asked the
.
master, "Have you realised the signs of accomplishment in the practices of sorcery? "
"I have reached the real point of their practical application, but because I devote myself to reciting the mantra OM MANI P ADME HOM I have no leisure to practise them. "l013 . . .
At that the Newar requested him to demonstrate the occult power
of "libera. tion". Guru Chowang approached a rabbit. He drew the shape
of a rabbit on the ground, repeated a mantra seven times over a needle
and stabbed the drawing. At that instant the rabbit tumbled ove/
Chowang said, "Now, we must purify its obscurations. Bring the rab-
1011 . . lO14
bit. " He fastened to it a liberating diagram
consciousness] into his following by offering tormas and a dedication ? f merit. Then Bharo asked, "If such sorcery were used on men, would It not be terrible? "
"Men and marmots are similar," answered the guru, and he per- formed the same action as before, but with a drawing of a marmot. Consequently, they recovered a corpse from a marmot's burrow. "This is the outcome of such practice. I will teach no one, because it is harmful to sentient beings. Even against an enemy one should not utilise any power that does not conduce to buddhahood. Since these two creatures animals, I have 'liberated' them. Otherwise, [remember that] it exceedingly hard to obtain a human body. The sin of taking life is Infinite. It is not limited to one death, but all those who are related or associated suffer as well. Occult power should not be used even against an enemy. Rather, we should cultivate compassion. "
Thus, Guru Chowang was one who especially undertook to practise the conduct of a bodhisattva. His vows not to use occult power and for his own sake were exceedingly firm; and because the com- pass. lOnate aspect [of such rites] reached its mark, this great guru ac- tuahsed [the meaning of the phrase] "To liberate even the three evil destinies through compassion. " He killed the body of past deeds, a mass composed of the five poisons, and resurrected the consciousness in the expanse of reality. In this way, he brought sa111sara to its end, and so achieved that which is most wonderful among [acts of] killing and resurrection.
768 History: Close LirJeages ofthe Treasures
At the time of his departure, the Newar, Bharo, offered sixty Zh0 1D1S
of gold and requested Guru Chowang to prevent obstacles from arising on his return journey to India and Nepal. The guru mixed the gold with flour and performed a burnt offering, whereby the knot ofBharo's avarice was completely released. Moreover, this was a wondrous deed which demonstrated his conviction in the Precious Jewels; for, having taken the Precious Jewels as their objects of reference, those who have accustomed themselves to the practice of liberality do not manifestly act as do those who harbour doubts when they renounce material things as being insubstantial, but, none the less, their display of delight over merits which appear as substantial objects may arouse the scrutiny of small-minded persons.
Afterwards, the guru said to Bharo, "Dispose of the ashes from the burnt offering by scattering them in the water, without any reservation. On the way someone will come to give you food. Accept it! "
Bharo did as he was told and was offered a turnip by a girl. He presented it to the guru, who said, "Cook it covered with a cloth. ,,1016 Then, when Guru Chowang escorted him a short distance on his journey to India, Bharo once more offered him three zho of gold. The guru said, "If we delighted the (;Hikinls by burning gold in fire, they will rejoice even more if we throw this gold into water. " And he cast the gold into a river.
Guru Chowang could reveal himself in six bodily forms simultan- eously. He flew in the sky and left countless impressions of his hands and feet in stone, and displayed many other miraculous feats. For this reason he was praised not only by the Nyingmapa, but also by such [adherents of the new translation schools] as the all-knowing Phak-o and PutOn Rinpoche, who praised Guru Choki Wangcuk as an incom- parably great accomplished master. Chowang clearly remembered thir- teen lives beginning with the religious king Trhisong's immediate rein- carnation, 0 Thaye, the son of the gods, through to Ngadak Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer. Even Sakra and sons of the gods offered him worship and praise. All the gurus of Tibet revered him as their own guru and his reputation shook the earth.
Guru Chowang built the two temples of Tshongdti Gurmo and Sam- drup Dewachenpo. This great treasure-finder discovered an image of the Lord of Sages that was similar to the image of Lord Sakyamuni in Lhasa, and which had been recovered from Mount Mucilinda by the sublime Nagarjuna and concealed on the snowpeak of Hawo by the great Padmasambhava of099iyana. He enshrined it in the Guru Temple in Layak, which became his main seat. During that era the great gurus and aristocrats of Tibet, without distinction, all came before his feet.
Having served living creatures by such inconceivable compassion and enlightened activity, the time for Guru Chowang to consummate his deeds drew near. He said:
Guru Ch 'R' TVT
0 1 wangcuk 769
h
ope,norfear:
C
Some delight if Ch" thoughts. owang IS happ
oncerning me Ch"k' W
S' ,0 ent1ent beings have d'
angcuk ,
Others fear the h ' y, appmess of Chowang.
And he continued:
Ch"
owang's mind knows neith
Chowang'smind1
M <nows not pam'
1
ay those who delight in h' "
Chowang has not ab d IS rejoice!
an oned pam'
ay those who delight in h' ' , ,
M
Chowang's mind k ,IS suffenng rejoice!
M
Chowang's mind h de, t dIe reJOIce!
nows neIther bi th
ay those who fear h 'h ' r,', nor death;
M
Chowang's mind k
as Ie mthee
ay those who fear h ' h xpanse of reality'
e t not die rejoice! ' nows neIther cha
g s mmd knows not b '
May those who fI , s u stant1a1 existence' ear eternIty rejoice! '
Thus, he lived as a re
hope and fear. g at master of yoga who had totally uprooted
So that his efforts spent in co .
Worthwhile, he gave this advice his temples should prove
May those who hope fI nor transformation' Chowan" or eternIty reJoIce! '
If .
one harms what is sacred thou h
throw him out!
But if even a beggar does a honour!
Moreover, he said:
, g he be your own son, '
serVIce for the temple, do him
To the celestial palace of realit '
supreme bliss y s expanse, all-positive
The illusory who is C h o ' ' Itseemsthatthisbod h fi' ,WIll now withdraw.
it must. y as mished trammg all ofthose whom Th '
SIgns that my past evil de in this body.
eds are exhausted have also '
Chowang'shumanform 1'1
and go. ' 1 <e one m a dream, now will vanish
I dreamt that the gatherin
a pile of gems' g, the master and all his disciples,
It IS a sign th 11 .
bliss. at a associated with me will obtain Supreme
out t e necessary service'
770 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Also, he declared: Everyonewhoeatsasmg
fmy flesh or bones,
le fragment 0 ' ·11
G
.
As small as a pea, or mustar
d
. .
d traversingthepath,W1 ,
bl
7 Como Menmo
reach supreme bliss.
. h these and other similar
Treasure roves. f great promulgator 0
rofound treasures.
[552. 3-557. 5] Of the two characteristic <;Uikinls, who were the real pres- ence of Yeshe Tshogyel,1020 compiler of the most secret transmitted precepts, the first is well known to have been the great emanational treasure-finder Como Menmo. In the prophetic text of her own treasure, the Gathering of All the Secrets of the pakinfs (mkha'-'gro gsang-ba kun- 'dus) it says:
At sometime the <;iakinls will entrust this doctrine To a girl of enlightened family,
Blessed by the <;iakinls, and born in a monkey year. Her conduct will be secret, her name Como.
By realising its blessing she will be naturally liberated, But at that time it will not much benefit others.
Still, all her associates will be conveyed to the level of
supreme bliss,
And will obtain enlightenment, not leaving a trace of their
bodies. 1021
Thus, it was clearly prophesied that she would be truly liberated. She emanated forth, like a blossoming lotus, in 1248 (earth male monkey year, fourth cycle),I°22 near the Guru's meditation cave at Zarmolung in Eytil, the birthplace of awareness. Her father was a mantrin of a Takpo family named Dorje Gyelpo, and her mother, Pema Peldzom, was descended from the <;iakinls. Her parents named her Pema Tshokyi. Because her father was a landowner who had not fallen into the extremes of either wealth or poverty, the infant girl was nursed tenderly, but her mother died when she was in her fifth year and her father remarried. Then, she was sent to graze cattle and forced to do
all sorts of menial chores. So, she experienced a little hardship. During this period, when she was in her thirteenth year, she was grazing the cattle during the springtime near the Secret Cave of Su- preme Bliss, one of Guru Padmasambhava's places of attainment, at Khyungcen Dingwei Trak in Zarmolung in E. She had dozed off there
p
see
. . d h· d1sc1ples W1t
Chowang msp1re 1S . h displaying mconcelVa
e oral Then, in for the great Palace of
signs and m1racles, Guru d Lotus Light. a adepts would meet on the roa , During that era, when . tWO mantrd. t"on that of the Earlier or Later
would ask, "Which 1S tra 1G1 'Chowang was known as a they T ),,1017 Accordmgly, uru
continuous lineage of sons, consist- Among his was as Pema Wangcen, who was an
ing of extraordinary lSNyima Qzer. In particular, emanation of Langdro, . ere Menlungpa Mikyo Doqe,
among the lineage of h1. s precepts and of
who was vastly learned m at e e Newar Bharo Tsukdzm, nme
the Ancient Translation. th Katok,1019 who passed away . mto a
f
"worthy sons" and Malf. 1 0
pure realm without ofaccomplishment, lineage of disciples, who reac doctrines of Guru Chowang, 0 w 1C t
ively propagated the f the enlightened activity of Grea d
the foremost were the ntes India, Nepal and the fr. antler : ; i l g
Compassionate One,. throu Kham. The stream has contmued 1 districts of T1bet and .
centra
the presen
t day without interruptlon.
. .
. bod . These and others m the
772
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
doctrinal expressions. Some people had faith in her, because of the songs and dances of indestructible reality and her unimpeded telepathic statements. But the majority gave her the nickname Como Menmo, saying, "Having fallen asleep on the mountainside, she has been posses- sed by a Menmo spirit. ,,1023 For this reason, she became distressed and decided to leave her own country and travel about with no fixed des- tination.
She went to Layak Pangdrong in west Lhodrak. Just by meeting Guru Chaki Wangcuk there co-emergent, pristine cognition was ef- fortlessly born within her. The precious Chawang, too, realised that she was one of the five characteristic consorts prophesied by Guru Padmasambhava, and took her as his secret seal of action. 1024 She un- ravelled the knots of his energy channels, whereby he realised all the symbols and meanings of the Great Esoteric Instructional Tantra of the Eight Transmitted Precepts) the Consummation of Secrets (bka'-brgyad gsang-ba yongs-rdzogs man-ngag-gi rgyud chen-po), which he had not been able to establish previously; and he translated it into Tibetan. Con- sequently their union, which was one of mutual advantage, came to be unsurpassedly beneficial.
Having stayed there for only a short period of time, Como Menmo received all sorts of essential [teachings on] maturation, liberation, and the instructions. Finally, the great treasure-finder said to her, "It seems that your profound doctrine, the pakinf volume, is the most wonderful essence of the meditative commitment of your previous life as the gakinI Yeshe Tshogyel. But now is not the time to propagate it on behalf of living creatures. Experientially cultivate it in utmost secrecy. Wander throughout the provinces of Central Tibet and Tsang, and benefit living creatures in a secret manner, which will convey all your associates to the level of supreme bliss. In the end you will attain the accomplishment of the sky-farers, without relinquishing your body. "
Obeying his earnest admonition Como Menmo, accompanied by two
worthy yoginls, travelled to all the districts and sub-districts as far as
Tingri in Lata. Once, she met Lingje Repa and, relying on symbolic
means, opened the energy channel of his discriminative awareness,
whereby an all-surpassing realisation was born within him. In this way,
he became famous all the way to the River Ganges for his lofty realisa- tion. 1025
So it was that in the end, having spontaneously benefitted living creatures in a secret manner, Como Menmo, then in her thirty-sixth year, went to the summit of Trak Lhari in Central Tibet. It was Wed- nesday 4 August 1283 (tenth day, seventh month). 1026 The mistress and her two servants performed a feast offering and then the three of them flew off into the sky, like the king of birds, garuQa. Without relinquishing their bodies they rose higher and higher in the expanse of space and journeyed unimpededly to the assembly of Qakinls on the
Como Menmo
. . elodious VOlce comlng
from the rock roused b 1
for a short while when a m f the secret cave open a rupt y
Sh saw the entrance 0
e . the cave without hesltatlOn, s e c
arne
her from sleep.
and her mood midst of a terrifying charnel upon a group of qaklnls m t e red as VajravarahI, and
The leader of the host appea l' htened family. " Vajravarah1 . "W 1 glrl of our en 19 . ' h crown
her, saymg, eco· kbehindherandla1d1tont e . took a small volume from the n her the entire maturation [of lts of Como's head, thus 'dance] all at once. Then she
empowerment] and liberation [o. f 1tS contains the of entrusted her with the book, saymif'the Dakinfs. If you the Gathering of All the Secrets 0 '11 obtain the supreme accompl1sh- cultivate it in utmost secrecy, y? U;11 t"on the girl became a great,
ment. " Receiving this ec liberated. When. native yoginI, who knew thm'h to nated mandala became inv1s1ble had enjoyed the feast offenngs, t . e domain. ' . .
and the qakinIS departe. d for °blessing matured in Como's mmd,
The nectar of the Valra Sue h ontaneously poured forth many and at all times, day and mght, s e sp
. ' h
Como Menmo 773
774 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
glorious Copper-coloured Mountain of Orgyen. When this occurred, they were actually seen by the local cowherds, who, on arrival there, ate some of the scattered offerings, and so became naturally absorbed in contemplation.
This great secret, which is so amazing, renowned as the Gathering of All the Secrets of the I)tikinfs, remained in the possession of the for some time, and was beyond the reach and range of ordinary persons. The time to train beings by means of it came later in this age of strife, when, by the power of compassion and enlightened aspirations, the transmission of its words and meaning fell to the emanational treaure- finder, the great awareness-holder, Perna Osel Do-nga Lingpa. This is because, first and foremost, during his past life as the precious Ch6wang, Como Menmo had been his secret friend, and also because he was blessed by the <;iakinls of pristine cognition. By the great, magical display of his recollection he established the text, which is preserved in the Great Store of Precious Treasure.
1 Samanthabhadra with consort
2 The peaceful and wrathful deities
3 Vajrasattva
4 Mahottara Heruka
5 Padmasambhava) his two foremost consorts) and eight manifestations
6 Ma1JeJalas of the Eight Transmitted Precepts
7 The three ancestral religious kings
8 Jowo Rinpoche) the famous image ofLord Sakyamuni in the Jokhang
9 I(ing Songtsen Gampo)flanked by his Nepalese and Chinese queens
10 Gilded roofs oftheJokhang) thefirst temple ofLhasa
12 The central shrine at Samye Tibef/S first monastery J
11 The stone-lion emblem the Yarlung dynasty zn the Chongye valley
13 A realistic representation of Longen Rapjampa
14 Remains of the sacred juniper tree at Kangri Thokar
15 Tharpaling in Bumthang) Bhutan)founded by Longcen Rapjampa
17Th .
e z m p o s i n g f a c a d e o f M i n d r o l i n g M o n a s t e r y z. n C e n t r a l T i b e t
6 I(atok Dorjeden Monastery in Kham
18 The hidden valley ofRudam I(yitram behind Dzokcen Monastery
19 Pel Tshering-jong, the retreat ofJikme Lingpa near Chongye
21 The monastery ofDorje Trak,
where the Northern Treasures tradition was preserved
20 PelyiU Namgyel Cangcup Ling Monastery
22 The deities of the "Combined Means for Attainment of the Three Roots"
23 scroll depicting Terdak Lingpa) wah hzs handprints and footprints in gold
24 Dudjom Rinpoche (centre) surroun e
y zs re
d d b h· P vious emanations
[557. 5-563. 5] Orgyen Lingpa of YarjelO27 was the seventh incarnation of Lhase Chokdrup Gyelpo. 1028 He was born at Yarje in Tranang in Yoru in 1323 (water female pig year, fifth cycle) into an extraordinary family of mantra adepts. He lived as a venerable monk who upheld the mantra tradition, and was deeply learned in sorcery, medicine, astro- logy, and so forth.
In his twenty-third year he found an inventory of treasures in the Red Stiipa at Samye. Behind Crystal Rock (shel-brag) in Yarlung there was a wonderful crystal cave at the Perna Tsekpa Rock, where the great Orgyen had performed the means for the attainment of nectar-elixir (bdud-rtsi sman-sgrub), and where there were natural stone images of the host of peaceful and wrathful deities, of which the guardian of the gate was Khyapjuk Chenpo [i. e. Rahula]. From the upper heads [of that image of Khyapjuk Chenpo] Orgyen Lingpa extracted the Trio of the Guru) Great Perfection and Great Compassionate One (bla-rdzogs- thugs-gsum) consisting of the Stage ofCreation for the Peaceful and Wrath- ful Guru) Three Cycles on the Two Teachings (bskyed-rim gu-ru bstan-gnyis skor-gsum zhi-drag), the Great Compassionate One) the Innermost Spiritu- ality of Padma (thugs-rje chen-po padma'i snying-thig), and a cycle of the Great Perfection, which included the Means for the Attainment ofLongev- ity according to the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen tshe-sgrub), and the Ati, Citi, Yangti,1029 and so forth (a-ti spyi-ti yang-ti-Ia-sogs); from the three lower heads, the Great Ocean ofDoctrine) the Gathering ofthe Transmitted Precepts ofthe Meditational Deities (yi-dam bka'-'dus chos-kyi rgya-mtsho chen-po) in one hundred and thirty-two doctrinal topics; from the throat, the Gathering of the Transmitted Precepts of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities (zhi-khro bka'-'dus), Cycle of Krodhakalf and Cycle of the Neuter Lord (mgon-po ma-ning);1030from the heart, the Great Injunction ofPadma (padma bka'-yi thang-yig chen-mo);1031 from the lower serpentine tail, the tantra, means for attainment, and rites of the Lord of Pristine Cog- nition with Many Deities (ye-$hes mgon-po Iha-mang),1032 a medical treatise, and profound instructions concerning the protectors of the
8 Orgyen Lingpa
. '
. ds and the tip of the serpentme tall, Orgyen and fro: for Beneficial and Injurious Rites (phan-
Lmgpa t e d nuals for arts and crafts (bzo-rigpatra). gnod-kYllas-thabs), an ma d h without limit, Orgyen Llngpa having brought forth these an ot ers,
revealed a vast store of profound treasure.
Orgyen Lingpa 777
of treasure doctrines; and it is said that the Gathering of Transmitted Precepts (bka'-'dus) alone comprised some thirty or so. However, be- cause he was unable to establi$h their texts on the basis of the yellow scrolls, it is well known that he reconcealed them as treasures.
In short, Orgyen Lingpa discovered twenty-eight great treasure troves, along with related materials, as illustrated by an infinite number of images, sacramental objects, riches and treasures. None the less, having opened the gateway of this doctrine for the first time at Trhadruk KhyamtO, during the performance of the great preparation for the empowerment of the Gathering of Transmitted Precepts (bka'-'dus-kyi dbang-sgrub chen-mo), he was harshly rebuked by Ta'i Situ Cangcup Gyeltsen of Neudongtse, because of a prophecy which contained an insinuation. 1035 For this reason, the rest of the auspicious coincidence was lost and the treasure-finder himself had to flee to the districts of E and Takpo. Not long afterwards, he passed away at Locung in the vicinity of E. His remains were transported to Takpo and placed whole into an earthen reliquary at the monastery of Zhapje.
Later, the worthy aristocrat Kurap heard the well-known [assertion that the flesh of] one born seven times [as a brahman] grants liberation when tasted. He asked for a tiny morsel of the flesh and, tasting it, blazed with mystical experience. He was able to move about one cubit above the ground and fly from one valley to another. Therefore, Orgyen Lingpa's mummified corpse became most valuable.
At a later date, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo dispatched the preceptor Lama Trashi Ozer from Dokam as a messenger to request some of the flesh; and he greatly multiplied it [by using it as] a continuous catalyst for sacramental substances which liberate when tasted. Afterwards, Temo Rinpoche, the regent of Tibet,1036 had the mummified corpse transported to Pentsang Monastery in Neudong, and enshrined in a wooden reliquary. He kept twenty measures of pills made from the flesh in the Norbu Lingka [i. e. the summer palace in Lhasa].
Subsequently, the supreme conqueror, the Great Thirteenth [Dalai Lama] realised that the body would be excessively harmed by the plunder of its flesh, and that this would be detrimental to the merits of Tibet in general. He wanted to enshrine the precious mummified remains in the Tse Palace [i. e. the Potala in Lhasa], and sent Dron Kungtal). gpa to transfer the body. But the Great Protector of the Doc- trine at Samye unexpectedly possessed [his oracle] 'and swore that it would be improper to transfer the corpse from that southern region to another place. 1037 Consequently, it was left where it was.
While travelling in the southern districts, Dalai Lama XIII purposely visited Pentsang Monastery and, for the benefit of living creatures, gave to that monastery about four measures of the pills which had
776
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Orgyen Lingpa
Yugong Rock in Tra he retrieved the Great Sequence 1 -rim chen-mo), the Short of the Path of Secret Mantra am h -ba) the Testa-
d bh (padma'l rnam-thar c ung ,
Biography of Pa masam ava. . . ' . (h '-b ed bka'-chems
ment which Elucidates the SigniflcanQce of Coincidence
Gathering of the umtessence 'J
rious treasure sites at Samye,
f Moreover, rom
d t h
(rten-'brelyang-snying the;ah d -l a)'1033 from the the Fivefold Group of InJunctlOnS (bka Supreme Light
don-gsa
l)
,an
e
Stupas of Zurkardo, the G. reat de-mcho'g) and the Glorious . C . , (h rlechen-poye-s es 0 ,
ofPristme ogmtlOn t ugs-'J h )'1034 f m the "tiger den" at ! . iger-riding Lord (dpal-mgon the ofthe Teaching Onpuk the Cycles of the WrathJu from Trakpoche in Traci, (gu-ru drag-po_dang tshe-bdag-gi skor). Countmg
Cycle of Yamantaka, or 1 eC' these and others, Orgyen mgpa lOU
nd more than one hundred volumes
778 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
previously been compounded from the flesh. All that remained was mixed with medicinal powder and, assisted by his tutor, Camgon Rin- poche of Phurbucok, the supreme conqueror used it to completely restore [the mummified remains] with his own hands. He enshrined it in a reliquary of fine wood which was covered with gilded copper from the base of the spire upwards. Between the spire and the dome he inserted the remains inside a lattice window and personally sealed the lattices. 1038 Later, he sent a letter to the residents of Neudong Fort and the monastic college of Pentsang, containing an enumeration of the various duties to be performed carefully and equally by those who supervised and venerated [the reliquary]. This letter, marked with the Dalai Lama's personal seal, consisted of seventeen pages in the form of a booklet folded back and forth, with each page sealed individually. I have had the good fortune to have actually seen that letter in the archives of the college at Pentsang. At some later time, when the relic- box containing the pills made of the flesh which the Dalai Lama had given to the monastery was opened, [it was found that] they had mul- tiplied by four.
It is said that because Ta'i Situ had disturbed the auspicious coinci- dence, the dominion of the Phakmotrupa and their followers began to dwindle, like floodwaters at the end of autumn. 1039
The family of this treasure-finder, Orgyen Lingpa, lived in Trap Tsangka and its environs. Although it is not clear how they served the doctrine it appears that they were a wonderful lineage of awareness- holders, all of whom could display various signs of accomplishment.
It is clear that among the cycles of his treasure doctrines the continu-
ous lineages of empowerment and transmission belonging to the cycles
of the Supreme Light ofPristine Cognition (ye-shes 'od-mchog), the Wrath-
ful Guru (gur-drag), the Means for the Attainment ofLongevity (tshe-sgrub),
and the Tiger-riding Lord alone were preserved until the time of Rikdzin
104o
Terdak Lingpa.
transmissions of the Injunction ofPadma which was Discovered at Crystal Rock (padma bka'-thang shel-brag-ma), the Fivefold Group ofInjunctions (sde-lnga), and the Gathering ofthe Quintessence ofAuspicious Coincidence do still exist. In particular, as had been clearly prophesied in Orgyen Lingpa's own treasures, an ancient manuscript, containing a cycle sum- marising the essence of the Great Gathering of Transmitted Precepts (bka'-'dus chen-mo'i snying-po mdor-bsdus skor) actually came into the hands of the venerable Perna Osel Do-nga Lingpa. On the basis of some [of the text], which appeared in the symbolic script of the ejakinls, he established the continuous transmission of its maturation and liber- ation, and this, together with the necessary texts, is preserved in the
Orgyen Lingpa 779 chen-mo)1041 and elsewhere, this is not merel
the attamment of the Guru (bla-sgrub) [ h' Y a means for T. ' or a teac mg of] th E' h
Precepts (bka'-brgyad) to which the name Gatheringo;r, 19 t mItted Precepts has been affixed. Rather, it sets forth the twent rans- o,f the Gathering of Transmitted Precepts in
guag;, ence, It IS as an object of great conviction and won er, and has rekIndled the dying embers of the teaching,
Still, they are not to be seen today. The continuous
Great Store ofPrecious Treasure. As it is made clear in the Great Biography
9 Ngodrup Gyeltsen) or Rikdzin Giidemcen
[563. 5-567. 6] Ngodrup Gyeltsen, the great awareness-holder and treasure-finder, was the reincarnation of Nanam Dorje Dtijom and one of the three supreme emanations. He was born, attended by extraordin- ary omens, on Tuesday 11 February 1337 (tenth day, month ofmiracles, fire female ox year, sixth cycle),1042 into the household of Namolung, which hailed from the district of Thoyor Nakpo, to the north-east of Mount Trazang. He was the son of the master Dtidtil, who belonged to an unbroken lineage ofaccomplished masters ofVajrakIla, descended from the clan of the Horpa king Kurser. 1043 In accordance with a prophecy, when Ngodrup Gyeltsen was in his twelfth year three vulture feathers grew from the crown of his head, ard five when he was at the age of twenty-four. Therefore, he became universally known as Rikdzin Godemcen, the "Vulture-quilled Awareness-holder". During his youth he attained the limits of study, reflection, and meditation upon all the Nyingmapa doctrinal cycles which were the doctrines ofhis forefathers.
There was one Zangpo Trakpa of Manglam who had discovered, in Gyang Yonpolung, eight doctrinal topics, including the Essential Invent- ory which Treats the Essence ofthe Esoteric Instructions in Seven Sections (snying-byang man-ngag gnad-kyi don bdun-ma). He realised that these were required as ancillary texts for the treasures to be revealed at Lhadrak, and for this reason he offered them to the great awareness- holder Godemcen, sending them through Tonpa Sonam Wangcuk. Accordingly, on Sunday 19 April 1366 (eighth day, snake month, fire horse year),1044 on the summit of Mount Trazang, at the three stone pillars of Dzengdrak Karpo, Rikdzin Godemcen found the key to three great treasures and one hundred minor treasures, and at that place he concealed a substitute treasure. That treasure ground, which was then left as it was, is known today as Lungseng, "Windy Hollow". Even at
present, new shoots sprout there at the beginning of each new year. At dusk on Sunday 14 June (fourth day, sheep month) of that same year [1366], in the cave of Zangzang Lhadrak, on the slopes of the rock mountain of Tukdrtil Pungdra, Rikdzin Godemcen discovered a great,
Rikdzin Gbdemcen
profound treasure containing five tr .
partments inside a square blu t easure chambers III separate com-
treasure chamber in the e chest. From the maroon core three kIlas wrapped in three. paper scrolls and
chamber to the east the D .
itional Aspects of the Causal and Fru- rgyu-'bras la-Zlo-ba'i chos dgon s- a lS Vast as Space (las the yellow gold treasure t t:-mkha dang mnyam-pa); from
the Four Aspects ofRitual Service A e the. Cycle of
the Sun and Moon (b b ttaznment whzch 1S Lumznous like snyen-sgru rnam pa b h·'· h
gsal-ba)- from the r d -
, e copper treasure chamb
ofAuspicious Coincidence which· l"k S
Z 1Z c os-skor nyi-zla-ltar h
er to t e west, the Doctrine
gyi chos tsan-dan-gyi sdong_ 0 a andalwood Tree (rten- 'brel-can-
chamber to the north th PD . u), from the black iron treasure
tacles, and which is lik' ep whzch Pulverises Enemies and Obs-
h e a Olsonous Plant Cd b h
c os dug-gi sdong-po lta b ) I h gra- gegs tal-bar rlog-pa'i P · - u. n s ort he fou d 1 .
enetratlOn ofSamantabhadra's In '. n count ess doctnnes, the foremost among them and tentlOn (kun-bzang dgongs-pa zang-thal) five treasure chambers' held Because each of the
m the. whIte conch treasure
one undred doctrmal topics, there were
781
782 History: Close Lineages a/the Treasures
h d d ' 11 He established their yellow scrolls, . those of five un re In a . d h amongst worthy recIpIents. In
Ngodrup Gyeltsen 783
guru and by doing so promoted the happiness and feliCity of Tibet. When Godemcen had arrived at the completion of such deeds, in his seventy-second year [1408], his intention dissolved into the expanse of
reality, accompanied by many wondrous omens.
The doctrinal streams which came through the lineages of his sons, consort and disciples have continued until the present day without decline. Among these doctrinal lineages there were many who passed
away in the rainbow body and many who became accomplished masters. During the time of Rikdzin II, Lekdenje, who was the second Godem- cen, and of Trashi Topgyel Wangpoide, the master of the Northern Treasure, who was the reincarnation of Ngari PaD-cen, the entire monas-
tic community of their seminary became a wandering encampment, as a result of the depredations of Zhingshakpa, the governor of Tsang. 1046 Therefore, [its members] became known as Eva1)1cokgarwa, the "Camp
Troops of Eva1)1 Tower". During the lifetime of Rikdzin III, Ngagi- wangpo, who was the son of that master of the Northern Treasure, the seat was re-established in Central Tibet and became universally re-
nowned as Thupten Dorje Trak. Rikdzin IV, Zhapdrung Perna Trhinle, greatly increased the enlightened activity of the three spheres [exegesis, attainment, and work] there, so that it became a fountain-head of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School. Up to the present day, the
seat of Thubten Dorje Trak has been maintained by the successive emanations ofRikdzin Godemcen and others. Accordingly, from Ladak in To Ngari, all the way to Dartsedo in lower Gyelmorong, there have
been a great many centres of the doctrine which adhere to this doctrinal
lineage.
. b h andpropagatetem . theIr ranc. e s , . . ervaded all the regions of TIbet.
this way, hIS doctr. mal :afound treasures exist only as means
? enerally all t of [the people of] Tibet and Kham
to mcrease the happmes. s and . y t' ular this Northern Treasure . h' d f t re lIves' but m par IC , .
". .
(byang-gter h h' turning back invading armIes, ter-
dunngtISan uu
) . without omISSIOn, .
everything that anyone mIght require for Increasmg. t e teachmg, 'fication of civil war, exorcism of
minating ;f authority, and the con- Gongpo It contains various ways to promote the trol of epidemIc. s and. Plagues;al and in particular, from Khyunglung
of ! Ibet, m to Longtang Drolma in Mekam [far
Ngtilkar In To [western .
This was the first of the e1ghteen g h· h he obtained, and wh1ch are
. · of the mind treasure, w 1C the add1Hon . .
forth in this mnemon1c. (. . . ) set (. . ) Tamdrinzhap 111,
(. ) dTrakmar 11, .
Namkecen 1, an T d·n (v) Entseigo (V1), (. ) nd amn, . )
d· (viii) Dromcola (lX ,
Monkateng 1V ,
. h· (vn) Tam n n , . . )
KhoY1S 1nmar , . (. ) Caktepma (xn ,
Sekar (x), Kyawophuknng Mon Bumthang (xv), Samye Arya (xiii), Cakpur (X1V),( . . ) Hawo Kang (xviii),
. ) Rong Rock xvn,
Tsiki Temple (XV1 , uine treasure (xix)
And the self-concealed, gen h er of propensities. Ch·· ang by t e pow
Came to me, ow ,
h
Furthermore, when he t 0
there were most witnessed by fortunate persons.
wondrous on the lords of the Generally, he impose. o. at sd fortunate and worthy persons to 0 . Otherwise, he . disputable.
Therefore, all his out whatever treasures you
His father heard of th1S s
,
. the copper amulet-boxes, h1S
d ·d "Read the catalogue 0
e said to have discovered.
ar Ch. . g hande
over
f ontents aloud. "
When Guru owan
c . "W 't there a book called f h r sa1d asn
. .
father sal ,
He read it and, agam, h1S Alone, Liberates All
the Buddhasamayoga . Tantr; w. _ hes kun-grol)? Read that to me· d as mnyam-sbyor-gyl rgyu gag s be inning, his father declare , rgyWhen he had read the ta,ntra I have given you not
"Now I understand. That s enoug. dditional disputes later no
just a little advice. if that treasure of more dead words w1ll come 0 : fulfilment. It is und1sputa. y
d to any expectations of rum or h knower of the three Hmes. an en . of the great Orgyen, t e . nes however pro-
transm1tted precept Idonotneedtohopenow
for other treasure doctn ,
. h· h ears dunng w 1C
[comes from] forty y , . hed urus
found.
"The advice I have for. you f 11 the learned and accomplis. g d
I have gathered the through conceptual . the four quarters 0 1 , . h round and root 0 sa. . t h a t t h i s m i n d a l o n e 1 S t ; s g y o u w i l l b y a l l m e a n s
. - Now ifyoulistentomywor. , Great Compasswnate ne of the Guru, Great perfectwn'e:::a bit of attention to sorcery
above all else. Besides that, do not pay
an
ut those treasures
Guru Choki Wangcuk 765
766
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Guru Chdki Wangcuk 767
The highest path of all is service to others. Whoever grows weary of this
Lengthens the path to enlightenment.
Then Guru Rinpoche said to him, "Do not hanker after t? is place. If you do, there is a danger that you will transfer . from one hfetIme to the next. " At that moment Guru Chowang was raIsed by what seemed to be a globe of light and arrived back home in an instant. In 1240
(iron male mouse year) the army of the Mongol Dorta the Black arrived,
three times appeared. Should I also cancel this business of going to India? "
Guru . Chowang replied, "If a buddha were to arise who did not wander In sa111sara he would be an extremist! Go to India. Ifyou find a guru, the guru. If you find disciples, educate the disciples. " To Bharo It seemed that this advice was exceedingly fine.
Again, this Newar, Bharo, was a person of very great faith whose propensities had awakened: Looking at the guru's hips he saw the eyes of a wrathful deity; he saw him discuss the doctrine with dakinls and
and the future was clearly established.
The truest of Guru Chowang's disciples was one Bharo TsukdzIn
from Kathmandu in Nepal. 1010 On his way to Tibet in search of gold he had received a prophetic declaration from a c;UikinI saying he would meet the Guru himself. For seven days he actually perceIved Guru Chowang to be Orgyen. Just by hearing the master's speech
realisation arose. One evening, while giving an empowerment, Guru
Chowang said to him, "How do you see me? "
"I actually see the meditational deity," replied Bharo.
"Well then, there is no other to whom to offer the feast and the
. ,
which'included half the carcass of a Bharal sheep,
tormas " So saying Chowang consumed the offerings for the feast,
In an Instant.
"Now, how do you see me? " he asked.
"The Buddha is actually present," was Bharo's answer.
"Well then, I shall empower you! " At that, he gathered up the
ments of worship, broke up the ma1). 9ala, and began to dance In place it had been. Knowing that the constitution and attitudes of hIS worthy disciple were those of one whose conduct was free from accept- ance and rejection, and who was fearless with respect to the
commitments of indestructible reality, Guru Chowang sent forth V cana from the great ma1). 9ala of his indestructible body, from the dIVIne gateway, in the form of great fragrance [excrement] and gave the empowerment. Bharo's experience was like that a
off its slough. Similarly, from the swift, secret path of hIS v. a)ra, Chowang poured Amoghasiddhi onto the tip of Bharo's tongu. e In of perfume [urine] and Bharo blazed with the all-surpassIng, pnstIne cog-
. . f . 'bl bll'SS 1012
mtIon 0 IncorruptI e, supreme . .
The master then poked Bharo's heart with his finger, and Said,
"Recognise this so-called'! '. "
Bharo's clinging to objects vanished like mist. .
"Do not deviate from the significance of seeing this'! '. There IS not
so much as a hair there on which to meditate! "
When the master said that, Bharo developed an gr. eat
realisation of the Great Perfection, free from activity and Extraordinary certainty was born within him. "Now", he Said, "I would not think to request empowerment even if the buddhas of the
and took [the rabbit's
1009 so on. Thus, he only saw the guru in pure visions. Once asked the
.
master, "Have you realised the signs of accomplishment in the practices of sorcery? "
"I have reached the real point of their practical application, but because I devote myself to reciting the mantra OM MANI P ADME HOM I have no leisure to practise them. "l013 . . .
At that the Newar requested him to demonstrate the occult power
of "libera. tion". Guru Chowang approached a rabbit. He drew the shape
of a rabbit on the ground, repeated a mantra seven times over a needle
and stabbed the drawing. At that instant the rabbit tumbled ove/
Chowang said, "Now, we must purify its obscurations. Bring the rab-
1011 . . lO14
bit. " He fastened to it a liberating diagram
consciousness] into his following by offering tormas and a dedication ? f merit. Then Bharo asked, "If such sorcery were used on men, would It not be terrible? "
"Men and marmots are similar," answered the guru, and he per- formed the same action as before, but with a drawing of a marmot. Consequently, they recovered a corpse from a marmot's burrow. "This is the outcome of such practice. I will teach no one, because it is harmful to sentient beings. Even against an enemy one should not utilise any power that does not conduce to buddhahood. Since these two creatures animals, I have 'liberated' them. Otherwise, [remember that] it exceedingly hard to obtain a human body. The sin of taking life is Infinite. It is not limited to one death, but all those who are related or associated suffer as well. Occult power should not be used even against an enemy. Rather, we should cultivate compassion. "
Thus, Guru Chowang was one who especially undertook to practise the conduct of a bodhisattva. His vows not to use occult power and for his own sake were exceedingly firm; and because the com- pass. lOnate aspect [of such rites] reached its mark, this great guru ac- tuahsed [the meaning of the phrase] "To liberate even the three evil destinies through compassion. " He killed the body of past deeds, a mass composed of the five poisons, and resurrected the consciousness in the expanse of reality. In this way, he brought sa111sara to its end, and so achieved that which is most wonderful among [acts of] killing and resurrection.
768 History: Close LirJeages ofthe Treasures
At the time of his departure, the Newar, Bharo, offered sixty Zh0 1D1S
of gold and requested Guru Chowang to prevent obstacles from arising on his return journey to India and Nepal. The guru mixed the gold with flour and performed a burnt offering, whereby the knot ofBharo's avarice was completely released. Moreover, this was a wondrous deed which demonstrated his conviction in the Precious Jewels; for, having taken the Precious Jewels as their objects of reference, those who have accustomed themselves to the practice of liberality do not manifestly act as do those who harbour doubts when they renounce material things as being insubstantial, but, none the less, their display of delight over merits which appear as substantial objects may arouse the scrutiny of small-minded persons.
Afterwards, the guru said to Bharo, "Dispose of the ashes from the burnt offering by scattering them in the water, without any reservation. On the way someone will come to give you food. Accept it! "
Bharo did as he was told and was offered a turnip by a girl. He presented it to the guru, who said, "Cook it covered with a cloth. ,,1016 Then, when Guru Chowang escorted him a short distance on his journey to India, Bharo once more offered him three zho of gold. The guru said, "If we delighted the (;Hikinls by burning gold in fire, they will rejoice even more if we throw this gold into water. " And he cast the gold into a river.
Guru Chowang could reveal himself in six bodily forms simultan- eously. He flew in the sky and left countless impressions of his hands and feet in stone, and displayed many other miraculous feats. For this reason he was praised not only by the Nyingmapa, but also by such [adherents of the new translation schools] as the all-knowing Phak-o and PutOn Rinpoche, who praised Guru Choki Wangcuk as an incom- parably great accomplished master. Chowang clearly remembered thir- teen lives beginning with the religious king Trhisong's immediate rein- carnation, 0 Thaye, the son of the gods, through to Ngadak Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer. Even Sakra and sons of the gods offered him worship and praise. All the gurus of Tibet revered him as their own guru and his reputation shook the earth.
Guru Chowang built the two temples of Tshongdti Gurmo and Sam- drup Dewachenpo. This great treasure-finder discovered an image of the Lord of Sages that was similar to the image of Lord Sakyamuni in Lhasa, and which had been recovered from Mount Mucilinda by the sublime Nagarjuna and concealed on the snowpeak of Hawo by the great Padmasambhava of099iyana. He enshrined it in the Guru Temple in Layak, which became his main seat. During that era the great gurus and aristocrats of Tibet, without distinction, all came before his feet.
Having served living creatures by such inconceivable compassion and enlightened activity, the time for Guru Chowang to consummate his deeds drew near. He said:
Guru Ch 'R' TVT
0 1 wangcuk 769
h
ope,norfear:
C
Some delight if Ch" thoughts. owang IS happ
oncerning me Ch"k' W
S' ,0 ent1ent beings have d'
angcuk ,
Others fear the h ' y, appmess of Chowang.
And he continued:
Ch"
owang's mind knows neith
Chowang'smind1
M <nows not pam'
1
ay those who delight in h' "
Chowang has not ab d IS rejoice!
an oned pam'
ay those who delight in h' ' , ,
M
Chowang's mind k ,IS suffenng rejoice!
M
Chowang's mind h de, t dIe reJOIce!
nows neIther bi th
ay those who fear h 'h ' r,', nor death;
M
Chowang's mind k
as Ie mthee
ay those who fear h ' h xpanse of reality'
e t not die rejoice! ' nows neIther cha
g s mmd knows not b '
May those who fI , s u stant1a1 existence' ear eternIty rejoice! '
Thus, he lived as a re
hope and fear. g at master of yoga who had totally uprooted
So that his efforts spent in co .
Worthwhile, he gave this advice his temples should prove
May those who hope fI nor transformation' Chowan" or eternIty reJoIce! '
If .
one harms what is sacred thou h
throw him out!
But if even a beggar does a honour!
Moreover, he said:
, g he be your own son, '
serVIce for the temple, do him
To the celestial palace of realit '
supreme bliss y s expanse, all-positive
The illusory who is C h o ' ' Itseemsthatthisbod h fi' ,WIll now withdraw.
it must. y as mished trammg all ofthose whom Th '
SIgns that my past evil de in this body.
eds are exhausted have also '
Chowang'shumanform 1'1
and go. ' 1 <e one m a dream, now will vanish
I dreamt that the gatherin
a pile of gems' g, the master and all his disciples,
It IS a sign th 11 .
bliss. at a associated with me will obtain Supreme
out t e necessary service'
770 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Also, he declared: Everyonewhoeatsasmg
fmy flesh or bones,
le fragment 0 ' ·11
G
.
As small as a pea, or mustar
d
. .
d traversingthepath,W1 ,
bl
7 Como Menmo
reach supreme bliss.
. h these and other similar
Treasure roves. f great promulgator 0
rofound treasures.
[552. 3-557. 5] Of the two characteristic <;Uikinls, who were the real pres- ence of Yeshe Tshogyel,1020 compiler of the most secret transmitted precepts, the first is well known to have been the great emanational treasure-finder Como Menmo. In the prophetic text of her own treasure, the Gathering of All the Secrets of the pakinfs (mkha'-'gro gsang-ba kun- 'dus) it says:
At sometime the <;iakinls will entrust this doctrine To a girl of enlightened family,
Blessed by the <;iakinls, and born in a monkey year. Her conduct will be secret, her name Como.
By realising its blessing she will be naturally liberated, But at that time it will not much benefit others.
Still, all her associates will be conveyed to the level of
supreme bliss,
And will obtain enlightenment, not leaving a trace of their
bodies. 1021
Thus, it was clearly prophesied that she would be truly liberated. She emanated forth, like a blossoming lotus, in 1248 (earth male monkey year, fourth cycle),I°22 near the Guru's meditation cave at Zarmolung in Eytil, the birthplace of awareness. Her father was a mantrin of a Takpo family named Dorje Gyelpo, and her mother, Pema Peldzom, was descended from the <;iakinls. Her parents named her Pema Tshokyi. Because her father was a landowner who had not fallen into the extremes of either wealth or poverty, the infant girl was nursed tenderly, but her mother died when she was in her fifth year and her father remarried. Then, she was sent to graze cattle and forced to do
all sorts of menial chores. So, she experienced a little hardship. During this period, when she was in her thirteenth year, she was grazing the cattle during the springtime near the Secret Cave of Su- preme Bliss, one of Guru Padmasambhava's places of attainment, at Khyungcen Dingwei Trak in Zarmolung in E. She had dozed off there
p
see
. . d h· d1sc1ples W1t
Chowang msp1re 1S . h displaying mconcelVa
e oral Then, in for the great Palace of
signs and m1racles, Guru d Lotus Light. a adepts would meet on the roa , During that era, when . tWO mantrd. t"on that of the Earlier or Later
would ask, "Which 1S tra 1G1 'Chowang was known as a they T ),,1017 Accordmgly, uru
continuous lineage of sons, consist- Among his was as Pema Wangcen, who was an
ing of extraordinary lSNyima Qzer. In particular, emanation of Langdro, . ere Menlungpa Mikyo Doqe,
among the lineage of h1. s precepts and of
who was vastly learned m at e e Newar Bharo Tsukdzm, nme
the Ancient Translation. th Katok,1019 who passed away . mto a
f
"worthy sons" and Malf. 1 0
pure realm without ofaccomplishment, lineage of disciples, who reac doctrines of Guru Chowang, 0 w 1C t
ively propagated the f the enlightened activity of Grea d
the foremost were the ntes India, Nepal and the fr. antler : ; i l g
Compassionate One,. throu Kham. The stream has contmued 1 districts of T1bet and .
centra
the presen
t day without interruptlon.
. .
. bod . These and others m the
772
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
doctrinal expressions. Some people had faith in her, because of the songs and dances of indestructible reality and her unimpeded telepathic statements. But the majority gave her the nickname Como Menmo, saying, "Having fallen asleep on the mountainside, she has been posses- sed by a Menmo spirit. ,,1023 For this reason, she became distressed and decided to leave her own country and travel about with no fixed des- tination.
She went to Layak Pangdrong in west Lhodrak. Just by meeting Guru Chaki Wangcuk there co-emergent, pristine cognition was ef- fortlessly born within her. The precious Chawang, too, realised that she was one of the five characteristic consorts prophesied by Guru Padmasambhava, and took her as his secret seal of action. 1024 She un- ravelled the knots of his energy channels, whereby he realised all the symbols and meanings of the Great Esoteric Instructional Tantra of the Eight Transmitted Precepts) the Consummation of Secrets (bka'-brgyad gsang-ba yongs-rdzogs man-ngag-gi rgyud chen-po), which he had not been able to establish previously; and he translated it into Tibetan. Con- sequently their union, which was one of mutual advantage, came to be unsurpassedly beneficial.
Having stayed there for only a short period of time, Como Menmo received all sorts of essential [teachings on] maturation, liberation, and the instructions. Finally, the great treasure-finder said to her, "It seems that your profound doctrine, the pakinf volume, is the most wonderful essence of the meditative commitment of your previous life as the gakinI Yeshe Tshogyel. But now is not the time to propagate it on behalf of living creatures. Experientially cultivate it in utmost secrecy. Wander throughout the provinces of Central Tibet and Tsang, and benefit living creatures in a secret manner, which will convey all your associates to the level of supreme bliss. In the end you will attain the accomplishment of the sky-farers, without relinquishing your body. "
Obeying his earnest admonition Como Menmo, accompanied by two
worthy yoginls, travelled to all the districts and sub-districts as far as
Tingri in Lata. Once, she met Lingje Repa and, relying on symbolic
means, opened the energy channel of his discriminative awareness,
whereby an all-surpassing realisation was born within him. In this way,
he became famous all the way to the River Ganges for his lofty realisa- tion. 1025
So it was that in the end, having spontaneously benefitted living creatures in a secret manner, Como Menmo, then in her thirty-sixth year, went to the summit of Trak Lhari in Central Tibet. It was Wed- nesday 4 August 1283 (tenth day, seventh month). 1026 The mistress and her two servants performed a feast offering and then the three of them flew off into the sky, like the king of birds, garuQa. Without relinquishing their bodies they rose higher and higher in the expanse of space and journeyed unimpededly to the assembly of Qakinls on the
Como Menmo
. . elodious VOlce comlng
from the rock roused b 1
for a short while when a m f the secret cave open a rupt y
Sh saw the entrance 0
e . the cave without hesltatlOn, s e c
arne
her from sleep.
and her mood midst of a terrifying charnel upon a group of qaklnls m t e red as VajravarahI, and
The leader of the host appea l' htened family. " Vajravarah1 . "W 1 glrl of our en 19 . ' h crown
her, saymg, eco· kbehindherandla1d1tont e . took a small volume from the n her the entire maturation [of lts of Como's head, thus 'dance] all at once. Then she
empowerment] and liberation [o. f 1tS contains the of entrusted her with the book, saymif'the Dakinfs. If you the Gathering of All the Secrets 0 '11 obtain the supreme accompl1sh- cultivate it in utmost secrecy, y? U;11 t"on the girl became a great,
ment. " Receiving this ec liberated. When. native yoginI, who knew thm'h to nated mandala became inv1s1ble had enjoyed the feast offenngs, t . e domain. ' . .
and the qakinIS departe. d for °blessing matured in Como's mmd,
The nectar of the Valra Sue h ontaneously poured forth many and at all times, day and mght, s e sp
. ' h
Como Menmo 773
774 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
glorious Copper-coloured Mountain of Orgyen. When this occurred, they were actually seen by the local cowherds, who, on arrival there, ate some of the scattered offerings, and so became naturally absorbed in contemplation.
This great secret, which is so amazing, renowned as the Gathering of All the Secrets of the I)tikinfs, remained in the possession of the for some time, and was beyond the reach and range of ordinary persons. The time to train beings by means of it came later in this age of strife, when, by the power of compassion and enlightened aspirations, the transmission of its words and meaning fell to the emanational treaure- finder, the great awareness-holder, Perna Osel Do-nga Lingpa. This is because, first and foremost, during his past life as the precious Ch6wang, Como Menmo had been his secret friend, and also because he was blessed by the <;iakinls of pristine cognition. By the great, magical display of his recollection he established the text, which is preserved in the Great Store of Precious Treasure.
1 Samanthabhadra with consort
2 The peaceful and wrathful deities
3 Vajrasattva
4 Mahottara Heruka
5 Padmasambhava) his two foremost consorts) and eight manifestations
6 Ma1JeJalas of the Eight Transmitted Precepts
7 The three ancestral religious kings
8 Jowo Rinpoche) the famous image ofLord Sakyamuni in the Jokhang
9 I(ing Songtsen Gampo)flanked by his Nepalese and Chinese queens
10 Gilded roofs oftheJokhang) thefirst temple ofLhasa
12 The central shrine at Samye Tibef/S first monastery J
11 The stone-lion emblem the Yarlung dynasty zn the Chongye valley
13 A realistic representation of Longen Rapjampa
14 Remains of the sacred juniper tree at Kangri Thokar
15 Tharpaling in Bumthang) Bhutan)founded by Longcen Rapjampa
17Th .
e z m p o s i n g f a c a d e o f M i n d r o l i n g M o n a s t e r y z. n C e n t r a l T i b e t
6 I(atok Dorjeden Monastery in Kham
18 The hidden valley ofRudam I(yitram behind Dzokcen Monastery
19 Pel Tshering-jong, the retreat ofJikme Lingpa near Chongye
21 The monastery ofDorje Trak,
where the Northern Treasures tradition was preserved
20 PelyiU Namgyel Cangcup Ling Monastery
22 The deities of the "Combined Means for Attainment of the Three Roots"
23 scroll depicting Terdak Lingpa) wah hzs handprints and footprints in gold
24 Dudjom Rinpoche (centre) surroun e
y zs re
d d b h· P vious emanations
[557. 5-563. 5] Orgyen Lingpa of YarjelO27 was the seventh incarnation of Lhase Chokdrup Gyelpo. 1028 He was born at Yarje in Tranang in Yoru in 1323 (water female pig year, fifth cycle) into an extraordinary family of mantra adepts. He lived as a venerable monk who upheld the mantra tradition, and was deeply learned in sorcery, medicine, astro- logy, and so forth.
In his twenty-third year he found an inventory of treasures in the Red Stiipa at Samye. Behind Crystal Rock (shel-brag) in Yarlung there was a wonderful crystal cave at the Perna Tsekpa Rock, where the great Orgyen had performed the means for the attainment of nectar-elixir (bdud-rtsi sman-sgrub), and where there were natural stone images of the host of peaceful and wrathful deities, of which the guardian of the gate was Khyapjuk Chenpo [i. e. Rahula]. From the upper heads [of that image of Khyapjuk Chenpo] Orgyen Lingpa extracted the Trio of the Guru) Great Perfection and Great Compassionate One (bla-rdzogs- thugs-gsum) consisting of the Stage ofCreation for the Peaceful and Wrath- ful Guru) Three Cycles on the Two Teachings (bskyed-rim gu-ru bstan-gnyis skor-gsum zhi-drag), the Great Compassionate One) the Innermost Spiritu- ality of Padma (thugs-rje chen-po padma'i snying-thig), and a cycle of the Great Perfection, which included the Means for the Attainment ofLongev- ity according to the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen tshe-sgrub), and the Ati, Citi, Yangti,1029 and so forth (a-ti spyi-ti yang-ti-Ia-sogs); from the three lower heads, the Great Ocean ofDoctrine) the Gathering ofthe Transmitted Precepts ofthe Meditational Deities (yi-dam bka'-'dus chos-kyi rgya-mtsho chen-po) in one hundred and thirty-two doctrinal topics; from the throat, the Gathering of the Transmitted Precepts of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities (zhi-khro bka'-'dus), Cycle of Krodhakalf and Cycle of the Neuter Lord (mgon-po ma-ning);1030from the heart, the Great Injunction ofPadma (padma bka'-yi thang-yig chen-mo);1031 from the lower serpentine tail, the tantra, means for attainment, and rites of the Lord of Pristine Cog- nition with Many Deities (ye-$hes mgon-po Iha-mang),1032 a medical treatise, and profound instructions concerning the protectors of the
8 Orgyen Lingpa
. '
. ds and the tip of the serpentme tall, Orgyen and fro: for Beneficial and Injurious Rites (phan-
Lmgpa t e d nuals for arts and crafts (bzo-rigpatra). gnod-kYllas-thabs), an ma d h without limit, Orgyen Llngpa having brought forth these an ot ers,
revealed a vast store of profound treasure.
Orgyen Lingpa 777
of treasure doctrines; and it is said that the Gathering of Transmitted Precepts (bka'-'dus) alone comprised some thirty or so. However, be- cause he was unable to establi$h their texts on the basis of the yellow scrolls, it is well known that he reconcealed them as treasures.
In short, Orgyen Lingpa discovered twenty-eight great treasure troves, along with related materials, as illustrated by an infinite number of images, sacramental objects, riches and treasures. None the less, having opened the gateway of this doctrine for the first time at Trhadruk KhyamtO, during the performance of the great preparation for the empowerment of the Gathering of Transmitted Precepts (bka'-'dus-kyi dbang-sgrub chen-mo), he was harshly rebuked by Ta'i Situ Cangcup Gyeltsen of Neudongtse, because of a prophecy which contained an insinuation. 1035 For this reason, the rest of the auspicious coincidence was lost and the treasure-finder himself had to flee to the districts of E and Takpo. Not long afterwards, he passed away at Locung in the vicinity of E. His remains were transported to Takpo and placed whole into an earthen reliquary at the monastery of Zhapje.
Later, the worthy aristocrat Kurap heard the well-known [assertion that the flesh of] one born seven times [as a brahman] grants liberation when tasted. He asked for a tiny morsel of the flesh and, tasting it, blazed with mystical experience. He was able to move about one cubit above the ground and fly from one valley to another. Therefore, Orgyen Lingpa's mummified corpse became most valuable.
At a later date, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo dispatched the preceptor Lama Trashi Ozer from Dokam as a messenger to request some of the flesh; and he greatly multiplied it [by using it as] a continuous catalyst for sacramental substances which liberate when tasted. Afterwards, Temo Rinpoche, the regent of Tibet,1036 had the mummified corpse transported to Pentsang Monastery in Neudong, and enshrined in a wooden reliquary. He kept twenty measures of pills made from the flesh in the Norbu Lingka [i. e. the summer palace in Lhasa].
Subsequently, the supreme conqueror, the Great Thirteenth [Dalai Lama] realised that the body would be excessively harmed by the plunder of its flesh, and that this would be detrimental to the merits of Tibet in general. He wanted to enshrine the precious mummified remains in the Tse Palace [i. e. the Potala in Lhasa], and sent Dron Kungtal). gpa to transfer the body. But the Great Protector of the Doc- trine at Samye unexpectedly possessed [his oracle] 'and swore that it would be improper to transfer the corpse from that southern region to another place. 1037 Consequently, it was left where it was.
While travelling in the southern districts, Dalai Lama XIII purposely visited Pentsang Monastery and, for the benefit of living creatures, gave to that monastery about four measures of the pills which had
776
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Orgyen Lingpa
Yugong Rock in Tra he retrieved the Great Sequence 1 -rim chen-mo), the Short of the Path of Secret Mantra am h -ba) the Testa-
d bh (padma'l rnam-thar c ung ,
Biography of Pa masam ava. . . ' . (h '-b ed bka'-chems
ment which Elucidates the SigniflcanQce of Coincidence
Gathering of the umtessence 'J
rious treasure sites at Samye,
f Moreover, rom
d t h
(rten-'brelyang-snying the;ah d -l a)'1033 from the the Fivefold Group of InJunctlOnS (bka Supreme Light
don-gsa
l)
,an
e
Stupas of Zurkardo, the G. reat de-mcho'g) and the Glorious . C . , (h rlechen-poye-s es 0 ,
ofPristme ogmtlOn t ugs-'J h )'1034 f m the "tiger den" at ! . iger-riding Lord (dpal-mgon the ofthe Teaching Onpuk the Cycles of the WrathJu from Trakpoche in Traci, (gu-ru drag-po_dang tshe-bdag-gi skor). Countmg
Cycle of Yamantaka, or 1 eC' these and others, Orgyen mgpa lOU
nd more than one hundred volumes
778 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
previously been compounded from the flesh. All that remained was mixed with medicinal powder and, assisted by his tutor, Camgon Rin- poche of Phurbucok, the supreme conqueror used it to completely restore [the mummified remains] with his own hands. He enshrined it in a reliquary of fine wood which was covered with gilded copper from the base of the spire upwards. Between the spire and the dome he inserted the remains inside a lattice window and personally sealed the lattices. 1038 Later, he sent a letter to the residents of Neudong Fort and the monastic college of Pentsang, containing an enumeration of the various duties to be performed carefully and equally by those who supervised and venerated [the reliquary]. This letter, marked with the Dalai Lama's personal seal, consisted of seventeen pages in the form of a booklet folded back and forth, with each page sealed individually. I have had the good fortune to have actually seen that letter in the archives of the college at Pentsang. At some later time, when the relic- box containing the pills made of the flesh which the Dalai Lama had given to the monastery was opened, [it was found that] they had mul- tiplied by four.
It is said that because Ta'i Situ had disturbed the auspicious coinci- dence, the dominion of the Phakmotrupa and their followers began to dwindle, like floodwaters at the end of autumn. 1039
The family of this treasure-finder, Orgyen Lingpa, lived in Trap Tsangka and its environs. Although it is not clear how they served the doctrine it appears that they were a wonderful lineage of awareness- holders, all of whom could display various signs of accomplishment.
It is clear that among the cycles of his treasure doctrines the continu-
ous lineages of empowerment and transmission belonging to the cycles
of the Supreme Light ofPristine Cognition (ye-shes 'od-mchog), the Wrath-
ful Guru (gur-drag), the Means for the Attainment ofLongevity (tshe-sgrub),
and the Tiger-riding Lord alone were preserved until the time of Rikdzin
104o
Terdak Lingpa.
transmissions of the Injunction ofPadma which was Discovered at Crystal Rock (padma bka'-thang shel-brag-ma), the Fivefold Group ofInjunctions (sde-lnga), and the Gathering ofthe Quintessence ofAuspicious Coincidence do still exist. In particular, as had been clearly prophesied in Orgyen Lingpa's own treasures, an ancient manuscript, containing a cycle sum- marising the essence of the Great Gathering of Transmitted Precepts (bka'-'dus chen-mo'i snying-po mdor-bsdus skor) actually came into the hands of the venerable Perna Osel Do-nga Lingpa. On the basis of some [of the text], which appeared in the symbolic script of the ejakinls, he established the continuous transmission of its maturation and liber- ation, and this, together with the necessary texts, is preserved in the
Orgyen Lingpa 779 chen-mo)1041 and elsewhere, this is not merel
the attamment of the Guru (bla-sgrub) [ h' Y a means for T. ' or a teac mg of] th E' h
Precepts (bka'-brgyad) to which the name Gatheringo;r, 19 t mItted Precepts has been affixed. Rather, it sets forth the twent rans- o,f the Gathering of Transmitted Precepts in
guag;, ence, It IS as an object of great conviction and won er, and has rekIndled the dying embers of the teaching,
Still, they are not to be seen today. The continuous
Great Store ofPrecious Treasure. As it is made clear in the Great Biography
9 Ngodrup Gyeltsen) or Rikdzin Giidemcen
[563. 5-567. 6] Ngodrup Gyeltsen, the great awareness-holder and treasure-finder, was the reincarnation of Nanam Dorje Dtijom and one of the three supreme emanations. He was born, attended by extraordin- ary omens, on Tuesday 11 February 1337 (tenth day, month ofmiracles, fire female ox year, sixth cycle),1042 into the household of Namolung, which hailed from the district of Thoyor Nakpo, to the north-east of Mount Trazang. He was the son of the master Dtidtil, who belonged to an unbroken lineage ofaccomplished masters ofVajrakIla, descended from the clan of the Horpa king Kurser. 1043 In accordance with a prophecy, when Ngodrup Gyeltsen was in his twelfth year three vulture feathers grew from the crown of his head, ard five when he was at the age of twenty-four. Therefore, he became universally known as Rikdzin Godemcen, the "Vulture-quilled Awareness-holder". During his youth he attained the limits of study, reflection, and meditation upon all the Nyingmapa doctrinal cycles which were the doctrines ofhis forefathers.
There was one Zangpo Trakpa of Manglam who had discovered, in Gyang Yonpolung, eight doctrinal topics, including the Essential Invent- ory which Treats the Essence ofthe Esoteric Instructions in Seven Sections (snying-byang man-ngag gnad-kyi don bdun-ma). He realised that these were required as ancillary texts for the treasures to be revealed at Lhadrak, and for this reason he offered them to the great awareness- holder Godemcen, sending them through Tonpa Sonam Wangcuk. Accordingly, on Sunday 19 April 1366 (eighth day, snake month, fire horse year),1044 on the summit of Mount Trazang, at the three stone pillars of Dzengdrak Karpo, Rikdzin Godemcen found the key to three great treasures and one hundred minor treasures, and at that place he concealed a substitute treasure. That treasure ground, which was then left as it was, is known today as Lungseng, "Windy Hollow". Even at
present, new shoots sprout there at the beginning of each new year. At dusk on Sunday 14 June (fourth day, sheep month) of that same year [1366], in the cave of Zangzang Lhadrak, on the slopes of the rock mountain of Tukdrtil Pungdra, Rikdzin Godemcen discovered a great,
Rikdzin Gbdemcen
profound treasure containing five tr .
partments inside a square blu t easure chambers III separate com-
treasure chamber in the e chest. From the maroon core three kIlas wrapped in three. paper scrolls and
chamber to the east the D .
itional Aspects of the Causal and Fru- rgyu-'bras la-Zlo-ba'i chos dgon s- a lS Vast as Space (las the yellow gold treasure t t:-mkha dang mnyam-pa); from
the Four Aspects ofRitual Service A e the. Cycle of
the Sun and Moon (b b ttaznment whzch 1S Lumznous like snyen-sgru rnam pa b h·'· h
gsal-ba)- from the r d -
, e copper treasure chamb
ofAuspicious Coincidence which· l"k S
Z 1Z c os-skor nyi-zla-ltar h
er to t e west, the Doctrine
gyi chos tsan-dan-gyi sdong_ 0 a andalwood Tree (rten- 'brel-can-
chamber to the north th PD . u), from the black iron treasure
tacles, and which is lik' ep whzch Pulverises Enemies and Obs-
h e a Olsonous Plant Cd b h
c os dug-gi sdong-po lta b ) I h gra- gegs tal-bar rlog-pa'i P · - u. n s ort he fou d 1 .
enetratlOn ofSamantabhadra's In '. n count ess doctnnes, the foremost among them and tentlOn (kun-bzang dgongs-pa zang-thal) five treasure chambers' held Because each of the
m the. whIte conch treasure
one undred doctrmal topics, there were
781
782 History: Close Lineages a/the Treasures
h d d ' 11 He established their yellow scrolls, . those of five un re In a . d h amongst worthy recIpIents. In
Ngodrup Gyeltsen 783
guru and by doing so promoted the happiness and feliCity of Tibet. When Godemcen had arrived at the completion of such deeds, in his seventy-second year [1408], his intention dissolved into the expanse of
reality, accompanied by many wondrous omens.
The doctrinal streams which came through the lineages of his sons, consort and disciples have continued until the present day without decline. Among these doctrinal lineages there were many who passed
away in the rainbow body and many who became accomplished masters. During the time of Rikdzin II, Lekdenje, who was the second Godem- cen, and of Trashi Topgyel Wangpoide, the master of the Northern Treasure, who was the reincarnation of Ngari PaD-cen, the entire monas-
tic community of their seminary became a wandering encampment, as a result of the depredations of Zhingshakpa, the governor of Tsang. 1046 Therefore, [its members] became known as Eva1)1cokgarwa, the "Camp
Troops of Eva1)1 Tower". During the lifetime of Rikdzin III, Ngagi- wangpo, who was the son of that master of the Northern Treasure, the seat was re-established in Central Tibet and became universally re-
nowned as Thupten Dorje Trak. Rikdzin IV, Zhapdrung Perna Trhinle, greatly increased the enlightened activity of the three spheres [exegesis, attainment, and work] there, so that it became a fountain-head of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School. Up to the present day, the
seat of Thubten Dorje Trak has been maintained by the successive emanations ofRikdzin Godemcen and others. Accordingly, from Ladak in To Ngari, all the way to Dartsedo in lower Gyelmorong, there have
been a great many centres of the doctrine which adhere to this doctrinal
lineage.
. b h andpropagatetem . theIr ranc. e s , . . ervaded all the regions of TIbet.
this way, hIS doctr. mal :afound treasures exist only as means
? enerally all t of [the people of] Tibet and Kham
to mcrease the happmes. s and . y t' ular this Northern Treasure . h' d f t re lIves' but m par IC , .
". .
(byang-gter h h' turning back invading armIes, ter-
dunngtISan uu
) . without omISSIOn, .
everything that anyone mIght require for Increasmg. t e teachmg, 'fication of civil war, exorcism of
minating ;f authority, and the con- Gongpo It contains various ways to promote the trol of epidemIc. s and. Plagues;al and in particular, from Khyunglung
of ! Ibet, m to Longtang Drolma in Mekam [far
Ngtilkar In To [western .
