No More Learning

In his forty-second year Dudm Dorje was invited by the lama of Derge, Campa Phuntsok, and his nephew. In the former monastic residence of that master he built the famous Dudm Shrine and fulfilled, thereby, a prophecy of benefit to both the teaching and the state. He visited all the seats of the Nyingmapa, the Ancient Translation School, as far as Katok Dorjeden; and he favoured many fortunate disciples. The cottage where he stayed for a long time practising contemplation at Nopki Phutak Phudrak-ring, near Dzing Namgyel, exists even today.
Dudm Dorje travelled to the residence of the royal house of Ling (gling-tshang) and established an excellent patron-priest relationship with the king of Ling. 1097 When he manufactured [sacramental sub- stances by means of] the vase attainment of the Great Compassionate One as the King of Space (thugs-rje chen-po nam-mkha'i rgyal-po'i bum- sgrub),1098 there were wonderful signs which surpassed the imagination. [Sacraments] derived from those manufactured then continue to exist at the present day.
The master was gradually invited to Parkam, Puto,1099 Parma
Lhateng, Riwoche, and so on, where he infinitely benefitted the teaching
and living creatures. In particular, at Pornetrak he met with Namco
llOO
Mingyur Dorje.
an auspicious connection. The encounter had been arranged by the great accomplished master Karma Chakme,1101 who scattered flowers of praise on DUdm Dorje.
DUdUI Dorje established his seats at Decen Thang in PutO and at Yuri Gango, and he dwelt in these places for a long time. He clarified, in a general way, the gateway to the pilgrimage centre of the secret land of Pemako. Afterwards, when he had completed his personal deeds, he departed for the great Palace of Lotus Light during his fifty-eighth year, in 1672 (water male mouse). At that time there were sounds, lights, rains of flowers, and numberless other wonderful mira- cles. Particularly, most of his corpse dissolved into light. What re- mained, which was about one cubit in length, was offered to the flames, from which a mass consisting of five great remains and many relics was recovered.
This master's foremost personal disciples, who became the masters of his teaching, were Lhatsun Namka Jikme, Rikdzin Longsel
N .
Ylngpo, K"
1102
RikdzinD"d"lD
They exchanged doctrines and otherwise formed
Baka Trulku Ch"k' G
0 I yarntsoD k
U U orje 817 Perna Rikdzin 1103
unzang Khyapdel Lhundru th ,zo
many other of master
of Dud':1 ? IS dIsCIples were numberless. The l'YhIll the vicinity u one s doctnnal linea en Ig tened activit
particular, by Gyelse Norb yge was preserved without decline . Y
, u appeared III the lineage of hI'S d
ongdra and d
escen ants.
h ' III ot ers who successively
19 Lhatsun Namka Jikme
of the energy in the throat centre, so that everything he saId was always refined m word and meaning.
Lhatstin subdued an extremist king in India and established him .
the Buddhist teaching. In Tibet, he encouraged all the gods and dem m . h' ons to assIst. 1m, and made them restore Samye Monastery. He was en-
WIth mastery over inconceivable miraculous powers: At Tsari, for mstance, he reversed a great mountain avalanche by exercising his gaze and the gesture of menace.
[610. 6-614. 2] Lhatstin Namka Jikme was simultaneously the embodi- ment of the compassion of the great paI). <;iita Vimalamitra and of the all-knowing Trime Ozer [Longcenpa]. He was born in 1597 (fire female bird year, tenth cycle) into the family of Lha Tsepo in the district of Carytil, in the south. He possessed many wonderful features; for exam- ple, the space between his eyebrows, his tongue, and the tip of his nose
l104
were all very clearly marked with the syllable A.
as a novice by Trtilku Orgyen Peljor at the hermitage of Sungnyen, and the name Ktinzang Namgyel was conferred upon him. At first, Lhatstin pursued varied study and reflection at the college of Thangdrok. From many holders of indestructible reality he gradually received the maturational [empowerments] and liberating [guidance] of many profound instructions, including such transmitted precepts and treasures as the Eight Transmitted Precepts and the Gathering of Intentions (bka'-dgongs). Having perfected the practice of the rites of service and attainment of his favoured deity, Lhatstin mastered the accumplishments and enlightened activities. In particular, he attended on Sonam Wangpo, an adept of the Great Perfection, for seventeen years and received the entire cycle of the instructions of the Innermost Spirituality (snying-thig-gi gdams-skor). He experientially cultivated it and so plumbed the depths of realisation.
Lhatsun N amka Jikme
When Lhatstin was absorbed in contemplation at such great pilgrim- places as those of Zabulung, Rincen Shelri Mukpoi Gatsel, Perna ! a-o and Shelri Lhei Dingkang in Yarlung, he experienced pure visions. Consequently, the spacious store of his mtention poured open and there emerged the Doctrinal Cycle of the
Song of the Clouds, the Nucleus of Indestructible Reality (rdo-rye sprin-gyi thol-glu'i chos-skor), which is praised as the further mnerI? ost spirituality of all treasure troves, the essential point of the aural lmeages, and [the cause of] liberation when seen, heard,
thought of, or encountered. He established the text and bestowed its aural lineage on a few disciples of extraordinary fortune.
To derive the full profit [from his practice] Lhatstin received all the esoteric instructions of the path of desire (chags-lam-gyi man-ngag) from the venerable Ngawang Mikyo Dorje. He trained himself until he mas- tered the pristine cognition of bliss and emptiness [by means of] the yogas of"one's own bodyas the means" (rang-lusthabs-ldan) and "another's body as the seal" (gzhan-lus phyag-rgya) , whereby his recognition of the four delights dissolved as it arose, and all things seen and heard matured into the inner radiance of co-emergent delight. 1105 Lhatstin practised the dis- ciplined conduct of awareness1106 in all the great pilgrimage centres of Tibet, such as Carytil, Takpo and Kongpo, and Uru, Yoru and Tsang, and thus he reached a high level of accomplishment. He unravelled the
He was ordained
Lhatsun N amka Jikme 819
820 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures . .
. . f the awareness-holder Jatson
ceeded on foot to Lhan Osel of pilgrimage and,
t h injunctIOnS 0 d e d D"d"l Dorje, and others, an
d b
Nyingpo, the great e; and Kham, Lhatstin pro- means to secure the a 0 in Sikkim in 1646 (fire dog), his
Encourage
Y
as a
fiftieth year. He opened up PI d a hermitage. While resIdmg, ! " dedatempean -' .
with a prophecy, 10un . . fthe dukinls, in the in accord with a Cycles of the Vital Attazn- Cavern at Trakar TrashIdmg, -'dzin srog-sgrub-kyi chos-skor-rnams),
ment of the ( g . f Ati the unsurpassed Inner-
which are the extraordinary I. nstructIOnS ? . 'He established the text . ed m a pure VISIOn.
most SpiritualIty, emerg. . and liberation on fortunate and bestowed the nectar of ItS maturatIOn
disciples. . . d bountiful enlightened activity which Moreover, Lhatstin mamtamGe P rfect'l'on until the reputation of
[614. 3-620. 2] The Fifth Dalai Lama, a supreme conqueror renowned under the secret name Dorje Thokmetsel, who was prophesied in many old and new treasure troves as an emanation of the enlightened activity of the religious king Trhisong Detsen, was the actual embodiment of the compassion of AvalokiteSvara, the Lord of the Land of Snows. He was born with wondrous omens in 1617 (fire female snake year, tenth cycle). His father, who hailed from Chongye Taktse, was Miwang Dtidtil Rapten, a descendant of the royal line of Sahor, and his mother, Ktinga Lhadze, was the daughter of the myriarch of Yamdrok. In the year of his birth Cangpa Rikdzin Ngagiwangpo conferred on him the transmitted empowerment of the Tent of Longevity (tshe-gur-gyi dbang- bka') in order to remove danger. 1107 This was the first auspicious occur- rence [during his life]. The Pal). cen Lama, Lozang Choki Gyeltsen,1108 recognised him to be the reincarnation of the conqueror Yonten Gyamtso [Dalai Lama IV], and invited him to the great doctrinal centre of glorious Drepung. He offered the lock from the crown of his head, received the name Lozang Gyamtso, and was installed upon the lion throne.
Starting with the Abbreviated Logic Course (bsdus-tshad) ,1109 the Dalai Lama studied all the great textual volumes under Koncok Chopel of Lingme, whom the great master Padmasambhava had prophesied to be the emanation of the translator Ngok. He learned them all without difficulty. From the Pal). cen Rinpoche he received many empower- ments, transmissions, and esoteric instructions. Under Mondro Pal). Q. ita and his son1110 he studied poetics, grammar, prosody, synonymics, et cetera; and astrology and divination, the Svarodaya and many other works without limit, under Dumpopa and Zurcen Choying Rangdrol. Thus, the Dalai Lama became a great mahaparJef,ita, fully cognisant of the ten sciences. In his twenty-second year he received complete or- dination according to the continuous lineage of vows stemming from Lacen Gongpa Rapsel from the Pal). cen Rinpoche, and was given the new name Ngagi Wangcuk.
.
Increased the teac t Perfection Cbras-ljongs rdzogs-c
h' ofthe reat e
the Sikkimese tradItIOn of the Grea
d h ughout all quarters.
Pa'i ring-lugs) sprea t ro d thi's accomplished master b uently surpasse
later age no one has su f disci lined conduct. The in his attainment of the lImIts p . of the profound doctnne
. ' d sotenc mstructIons
ments, transmIssIons, an e h lder and the Spontaneous
S
ong
d
. ,. (the Awareness- 0
of the Vital Attaznment 0 ) . 11 transmitted until the
ay of the Clouds have been y . 'ty of their doctrinal lIneages has without decline. The t and Kham and, particularly,
been propagated in mo. st 0 in the secret land of Sikkim.
I e
'.
It is said that during thIS
h_
20 The Fifth Dalai Lama
822
By your fifth incarnation,
a present king of the black-headed race.
Accordingly, when the Fifth Dalai Lama went to glorious Samye the auspicious circumstances [for the discovery of] actual treasures arose, but, due to the time, place, and situation, he did not take possession of them. Later, when the myriad conquerors belonging to the three roots were actually revealed to him in a vision, he obtained a prophetic declaration and empowerment, in conformity with which he wrote down [the treasures forming] Twenty-five Doctrinal Groups Sealed to be Kept Secret (gsang-ba rgya-can-du gsol-ba'i chos-sde nyi-shu rtsa-lnga). Together with his orally composed supplement, they fill two volumes. He bestowed their maturation and liberation, in their entirety, on a supreme gathering, consisting mainly of holders of the tradition of the Ancient Translation School, such as the king of the doctrine Terdak Lingpa and Rikdzin Perna Trhinle. Therefore, his treasures came to be very widely propagated. Their lineage has continued until the present day without decline.
On the political front: When the Dalai Lama was in his twenty-fifth year [1641] the Mongolian Gushri Tendzin Chogyel captured the three provinces of Tibet through his military might. He offered all the reli- gious and civil properties to the Dalai Lama as the subjects of his dominion. Afterwards, the Dalai Lama was invited to Peking by the great emperor of the east, and presented with, among other things, an imperial edict which proclaimed him the "Dalai Lama, Vajra-holding Master of the Teaching. . . " The emperor also venerated him as a ti-shih, or imperial preceptor, and established a patron-priest relationship. 1111
The Dalai Lama built the great Potala Palace on Marpo Hill [in Lhasa]. As a king adhering to the vows of a monk, [an emanation of Avalokitesvara], the sublime lord of the world, and of Trhisong Detsen, [the embodiment of] MaiijusrI, he governed Tibet and Kham during the degenerate age as had been foretold in infallible indestructible prophecies. In this way, he was a great master who maintained, even down to the present day, the happiness of the whole kingdom of Tibet, by means of the two traditions [i. e. spiritual and temporallaw]. 1l12
On the doctrinal front: The Dalai Lama turned the infinite doctrinal wheel of the transmitted precepts and treasures of the ancient and new traditions of sutra and mantra. His disciples included most of the holders of the teaching in Tibet, beginning with such great gurus as the glorious [hierarch of] Sakya and his disciples, [the hierarchs of] the Drigungpa, Taklungpa and Drukpa [Kagytipa subsects], the supreme emanation of the Pa1). cen Rinpoche, and the acting and retired throne-holders of Ganden. In particular, many extraordinary individuals, great promul- gators of the Ancient Translation School who could uphold its philosophy, such as the king of the doctrine Terdak Lingpa, Rikdzin
The Fifth Dalai Lama
an extraordinary learned and ac- The Dalai Lama attended lel'or Lhtindrup of Phabongkha, complished tutors, such as Rangdrol, Menlungpa Locok
Zhalu Sonam Chokdrup, Zurcen . 0 T d k Lingpa. His own Record
k f the doctnne er a . h ld I? g 0 . h'ch fills four volumes and IS e
Dorje, and the
of Teachings Recelved w h ompleted study and reflec- by all to be authoritative, descnbes dOW e c and the empowerments,
fthe sutras an . '
mantras, . . h t ions of the mantra tradItIOn, t a
tion on most exegeses 0
transmissions, that period, of which the foremost continued to surVIVe m TIbet unngand N ingmapa. Through conteI? -
were those of the Sakyapa, he the skills of renunCIa- lation and experiential Phe performed various wrathfUl
'c
were made manliest.
'tted precepts of profound,
Pf)
1· . At some pomt, too,
tion and rea IsatIOn.
rites of sorcery and the signs [0 success
h· ssion to the transmi In particular, IS s u c c e . h
pure visions m a prop ecy glorious Trashl Topgyel.
nd five special treasures 0 Twenty-five (treasures] a . ' s
Will be revealed, through pure aspIratIOn,
f the from the treasures 0
f
. d mm
The Fifth Dalai Lama 823
L· ofthe Treasures
824 History: Close meages . G DorJ·e came before
. d k-eTendzln yurme , .
Pema Trhmle, and Lho r. a 1rthe Fifth Dalai Lama was mcom-
Ancient Translation School. parably gracious to the reat gurus and from t. he
him; and so, directly and m 0
21 Rikdzin Terdak Lingpa) the
Great Treasure-finder ofMindriiling
Moreover, among most 0 g the land of Tongku [l. e. Tonkm] River Ganges in India all the way to h dl·d not become the Dalai
h dlyanyonew0
in the east, there ar Central Tibet, Tsang and Kham, an
d
as
Lama's personal dlSclple. In r he founded countless new far as the lands of China and Mdongo dlae'rful Inner and Outer Collected
H· 1quentan won . doctrinal centres. lS e 0 l·fi d by his commentanes on
the
, h· ng)exemp1le A Works (gsung- bum p yz-na . ' than thirty large volumes. mong
texts of the sciences, contam hools he cherished above all the the partisans of the new translatlWOn sc k l'1l3 and among those of the
had
as an auspicious token of t e e n h
Potala, he passed into bliss.
. lon
lllS and in the great palace 0 ,
t e
Khyentse angcu, . 1 a Trashi Topgyel. In ar
tradition of Jamyang
Nyingmapa, only that of h auspicious connectlon of pnest and been prophesied, he made t r:at treasure-finder and the master"
patron that ee Lingpa and D. harmasn] the doctrine of Mmdroling [l. . lanted the roots of contmulty for the and himself. In these ways, he p l1l4
government of the Ganden Palace. h res of the Fifth Dalai Lama,
Such was the legacy, in the e deeds of his outer,
h mpletlOnt emc . h
Who having broug t to co b b d during his sixty-Slxt year,
, becamea sor e , d inner and secret careers, fif h day third month, water og
on 2 May (twenty- l:scend:nt lady Vidya year), in the contemplatlonhof activity of his future
.
The emanation descended from Pema Lingpa
yang Gyamtso,1116 too. k blrth l. n t : day, when the Great Four-
of Mon. From that P rnations lives as a sovereign
teenth in this successlVe lme 0 mca upon the earth, the succesSlOn h· f the Conqueror
of the entire teac mg 0 f d throughout the world. of Dalai Lamas has been ame
.
the awareness-holder Tshang-

as
[620. 2-636. 6] Rikdzin Terdak Lingpa, or Perna Karwang Gyurme Dorje, was the speech emanation of the great translator Vairocana. When, at the time of his death, he had withdrawn from the body of his previous lifetimeI1l7 into the expanse of inner radiance, he was inspired to serve others by the Qakinls' song that is the pure melody of awareness. Consequently, the body of his pristine cognition assumed the form of a heruka and entered the womb. When he took birth at Targye Choling in Tranang,I1l8 on Monday 26 March 1646 (tenth day, second month, fire dog year, eleventh cycle), the earth shook, rainbow auras sparkled, and other wondrous omens occurred. His father was NyoWn Sangdak Trhinle Lhiindrup, and his mother Lhandzin Yangcen Drolma of a noble family.
As soon as he was born he was blessed by his venerable father with an empowerment as an auspicious token of keen intellect, and for protection from obstacles. Even later, he would recall with extraordinary clarity of mind the surroundings and happenings at that time, as well as the yogin with a bluish complexion and topknot and the two beautiful women who continually served him from then up to his third year.
Even from the time he was being nursed Terdak Lingpa's expressions revealed him to be adept at contemplation; and during childish play, too, he had the virtuous manner of one in whOIll the genuine enlightened family had awakened. Thus, he inspired confidence in intelligent per- sons. At the beginning of his fourth year he received the empowerment of the Eight Transmitted Precepts, the Consummation of Secrets from his venerable father; and at that time all objective appearances were sealed with the mal). Qala circle, so that he perceived the foremost [figure of the mal). Qala] and the guru to be no different, and the seed of the four empowerments was sown in the stream of his mind. During the autumn of his tenth year, 1655 (wood sheep), while receiving the empowerment of the Gathering of the Sugatas, he was empowered and blessed by the great master Padmasambhava during a vision of inner radiance. Owing to this, [the aforementioned seed] grew, and he experienced [the fruit
. L' es ofthe Treasures
826 Hzstory: Close meag b he established objective appear-
of] the vase where y
. . f the ceremomes a n ,
the memonsatIon 0 . werments
Successively, the all-knowing Great Fifth and his own venerable father, Sangdak Trhinle Lhtindrup, had the perfect kindness to favour Terdak Lingpa as their personal disciple. Above and beyond that, he would later [i. e. after their deaths] be blessed by the bodies of their pristine cognition. For this crucial reason, they were his two incompar- ably gracious root gurus. Moreover, there were sixteen great holders of the teaching under whom he studied the profound paths of maturation and liberation, and thirty-five tutors from whom he received various profound doctrines. Attending on these, Terdak Lingpa, at various places and times, received the complete vows of a layman, the bodhisattva vows according to the three traditions, and, as stated above, the empowerment and introduction to the symbolic significance of the Eight Transmitted Precepts, the Consummation ofSecrets which had been the first catalyst of his maturation [i. e. his first empowerment]. In this way, he grounded himself in the three vows.
Terdak Lingpa's studies of the doctrinal transmissions were infinite.
It would be difficult to grasp even the titles, but they included all the transmitted precepts of the Ancient Translation School for which there exists a continuous lineage nowadays, such as the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, the Three Traditions ofthe Mental Class (sems-sde lugs-gsum), the Buddhasamayoga and the cycles of Yangdak Heruka, Vajrakfla and Yamantaka; most of the well-known treasures, as exemplified by the varied transmitted precepts of the class of means for attainment, the Trio of the Guru, Great Perfection, and Great Com- passionate One, in general and in particular; the general transmitted precepts of the new translation schools, such as the Vajra Garland and the Hundred Meansfor Attainment, as well as such particular transmitted precepts as those of Cakrasarrzvara, Hevajra, Kalacakra, Guhyasamaja,
Yamantaka, and the Kriya and Yoga empowerments, guidance, and exegetical transmissions, along with many works of the sutra tradi- tion; and the transmission of the entire Kangyur, which is the root of them all.
Starting in his thirteenth year, Terdak Lingpa memorised the Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus, the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle, the Mind at Rest, and the root text and commentary of the Wish-
fulfilling Treasury; and from his venerable father he gradually received their oral exegeses. Later, he mastered the scriptures of the Nup tradi- tion, the Zur tradition and of Rongzom Pal)gita; Sakya Pal)gita's Analysis ofthe Three Vows (sa-skya par! 4i-ta'i rab-dbye); Comden Rikpei Reldri's Definitive Order of the Tantrapitaka (bcom-ldan ral-gri'i spyi- rnam); and the Profound Inner Meaning by Karmapa III, Rangjung Dorjc (rang-byung-zhabs-kyi nang-don). In particular, by diligently in- vestigating the scriptures of the great, all-knowing Longcenpa he ob- tained unimpeded powers of intellectual analysis, and thereby resolved his doubts about all things that there are.
ances to be appantIonal. '1 mastered writing and reading, Up to that time Terdak Lingpa. eaSl Yd rl'tes including the means for
d1 ceremomes,empo
attainment, mal). a a . h' wn tradition, an a t elr
. belongIng to IS 0 .
tions, and consecratIOnS h b came the regent of hIS vener-
. h' es Fromthenon, e e . . practIcal tec m q u : . d a11 kinds of enlightened actIvIty.
able father, and mamtame d k L' pa offered a lock from the crown
In his eleventh year Ter a mg or the Fifth Dalai Lama, at
of his head to the all-knowing conquerp 'ma Tendzin was conferred Th nameNgawang e 1
glorious Drepung. e . . d d 'th the initial arrival of the natura upon him. Because this comCl WI 1119 the Dalai Lama was delighted,
image SU. blime C? ne auspicious coincidence! " At
and inspIred hIm, saymg, h t d from t e
and absorbed into TerdakbLlmlgpadsof the Great Fifth, h t the venera e or
h t of the image of the SublIme ear d
iling and passionately engage , One whichwasclearlypeaceu. 'sm, b'd Andwhen,inhisseven-
time, light rays emana e f 1
teenth year,
at Samye, he saw h1m m
e me . . the form of Avalokitesvara.
,
d 11 h.
. '
. . permlSSory lmtIa-
Rikdzin Terdak Lingpa 827
828 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
He received the empowerments, instructions, and exegetical trans- missions of the four rivers [of the Sfttra which Gathers All Intentions] in their entirety, including the seal of entrustment and the longevity
empowerment for final support from Takton Chogyel Tendzin who had opened forty-five ma1)9alas on the basis of the Empowennent Cere- mony of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions [entitled] the Jewel Rosary
('dus-pa mdo'i dbang-chog rin-chen phreng-ba). Moreover, on the basis of the Empowennent Ceremony [entitled] the River of Honey (dbang-chog sbrang-rtsi'i chu-rgyun) he received [from the same guru] the complete
empowerments, transmissions, and instructions, relying on twenty-one
Rosary, relying on a condensed version [which utilised] twenty-seven mal). <;lalas, of which the root mal). <;lala was painted on cloth, and the
20
Rikdzin Terdak Li
sation (thod-rgal),1122 the yogas 0 f the energy cu ngpa 829
the appropriate crucial [to practice et dUring
way, he attamed stability in the sta f . c mgs]. In this . . . ge0 creatIonwhich .
Impure VISIOn, and so accomplished all h £ '. . eradICates obstruction. As for the stage of £ . t e our ntes WIthout any the. energy channels, currents The pulses or rhythms of punfied in the dhuti [the centr;l ene semInal havmg become
painted on cloth. Again, from Rikdzin Pema Trhinle ofDorje
present, without differentiatio
d
. he mner IS continuously unng both medItatIve equipoise and
ma1)9
Trak he received the full empowerments, instructions, and exegetical transmissions, based on the Empowennent Ceremony [entitled] the Jewel
n,
alas
its aftermath.
All appearance and conduct havin ar·
surrounding ones laid out schematically. 11
Both of these masters con-
masambhava V· 1· - Buddhaguhya, Vairocana, Yeshe Tsho ,Im a
ferred on him the secret name Gyurme Dorjetsel.
The connection formed by his aspirations being awakened, the trans-
mitted precepts of the profound treasures fell to Terdak Lingpa as follows. He discovered the treasures of the Innennost Spirituality of the Awareness-holder at Yamalung during his eighteenth year, on Friday
15 June 1663 (tenth day, fifth month, water hare); of Yamantaka, the Destroyer of Arrogance (gshin-rje-gshed dregs-Joms) at Sheldrak, having displayed his miraculous powers, during his twenty-second year, on
Saturday 24 September 1667 (eighth day, khrums month, fire sheep); of the Wrathful Guru (gur-drag) and the Atiyoga and Vajrasattva Cycles (rdor-sems a-ti'i skor) at Gkar Rock during his thirty-first year on Satur-
day 19 December 1676 (full moon day, tiger month, fire dragon); and of the Doctrinal Cycle of the Great Compassionate One as the Universal Gathering of the Sugatas (thugs-rje chen-po bde-gshegs kun-'dus-kyi chos-
skor) in public at Shawuk Tago during his thirty-fifth year, on Friday 23 August 1680 (twenty-ninth day, sixth month, iron monkey).
On various different occasions, both before and after those just men- tioned, Terdak Lingpa remained in retreat for periods of one year, six months, three months, or one month, at Trakmar Chimpu, Yamalung
and other wonderful and great centres of accomplishment, and in the solitudes of such hermitages as his quarters at the old and new seats,1121 and his cottages at Oseltse and Samtentse. There, he performed the
rites of service and attainment for about thirty-five meditational deities, including the peaceful and wrathful Guru [Padmasambhava], Vajra- sattva, the Eight Transmitted Precepts, the Great Compassionate One, Yangdak Heruka and Vajraklla, Yamantaka, Hayagr1va, and KhecarI.
Taking the experiential cultivation of Cutting Through Resistance in the Great Perfection (rdzogs-pa chen-po khregs-chod) as the very heart [of the teaching], he also experientially cultivated All-S urpassing Reali-
ma1)<;ialas and empowered Terd k L. . . create
and treasures, as exemplified hI. ngpa m many transmitted precepts commented upon and tau h y IS own and they amply
nition of the "bliss of . ( . " .
melt· " b l rgy chan. nel], the pristine cog- mg azed as hIS seal 1125 Th
mamiest and Impartial intention f h G . . e naturally within him, every trace of sub. . 0 t e reat PerfectIOn being born
mastered the contemplation ;raSping diss. olved. as it arose. He
1I26
h as the of pristine p IS e masters of IndIa and Tibet,
the all-knowing lord of the do t . reI, Nyang-rel NYIma Ozer, and
the bodies of their prI. stI. ne c nne. [. ongcenpa] actually appeared in cogmtIOn They d .
cognition, many pa1)9
such as the great master Pad
itas
and accom
found path. He also beheldg . t the essentIal mstructions of the pro- In vIsIOns, and was emp d
by, many meditational deities includ· V . and blessed Yangdak Heruka, the Great Com I? g aJrakumara, Vajrasattva,
wrathful deities and VaJ. rayog· _ HPassIOnate One, the peaceful and , 1m. etraversed 1
as SukhavatI and the glorious Co _ 1 many ands, such dvlpa, and so mastered th pper C? oured Mountam on Camara- the realms All his acts e of the total purification of
and by the <;iakinls Thus, he had limitless declarations to him.
unhindered and unI·mped d e
prophecies regarding the ch
VISIOns. SInce he was endowed with supernormal . .
. cogmtlve powers, his
exactly as he had foretold th patterns of time later turned out
proofs of this but I will noteml·b erehappear to be many convincing
U . ' eaorate ere
p to hIS thirty-first year th d . .
planted in Terdak Ling " . edsee of maturatIon which had been
experience of the vase e : s mm -stream gradually grew, so that his
objective appearances to was such he established all Il27
. '
eI? mently by means of buddha-bod a 0 Ivmg creatures pre-
Therefore this was th t. e ra Iant and empty, lIke apparitions.
l'
e Ime to act on beh If f 1· .
dIstricts, north and south, such as He travel. led to many different the seed ofliberation, without b. an? Kyllung, where, planting
requiringtraining merel emmdsofnumberlesspersons made an end to s;rpsara. y e e the ma1)<;iala [of his person] he
emanatIOnal
L 0 ea es ofthe Treasures
830 History: Close In g o o 0 M h 1677 (second month,
b InmngIn arc h In his thirty-second year, eg ecret empowerment arose as t e
Rikdzin Terdak Lingpa 831
trators;! l3' and the sons of his body and the many hOly sons of his
speech, who were spiritual benefactors elucidating the teaching. Thus, he c1arilied and extended the teaching that is without peer. In order that it might endure for a long time he also composed wonderful treatises
of unprecedented eloquence, which include the means for attainment, maI;l(lala rites, empowerment ceremonies, and so on, for the cycle of transmitted precepts, and the ceremonial arrangements and so forth
for the exceptional older treasures, the Earlier and Later Treasure Troves foremost among them. These works OCCUpy some thirteen volumes.
Concerning his activity in connection with attainment: As the master himself never strayed from continuous cOntemplation, both in meditat- ive equipoise and its aftermath, he directly introduced those to Whom
he gave meditational guidance to awareness itself, not leaving them with a merely academic understanding. When he granted empOwer- ment, the blessing of his pristine cognition actually penetrated the
minds of his disciples; and he caused all the myriad rites of service and attainment to be applied practically, not left to be merely exegetical.
Concerning his activity belonging to the sphere of deeds and Work: Terdak Lingpa did not lock up in a treasury all the things bestowed Upon him from above by His Holiness [the Fifth Dalai Lama) and
others, or offered up by the faithful. At the monastic centre of Orgyen Mindroling he newly gathered some three hundred members of the sarrzgha who, binding themselves to the three vows, spent the time
engaged in exegesis and attainment. He continuously ensured that they Would not be bereft of the appropriate requisites and so [provided them With) their quarters, images, books, stUpas and other items of Worship,
and the supplies and provisions required for the rites of attainment and Worship during the four seasons. Moreover, he commissioned many paintings and sculptures; more than five hUndred volumes in gold and
Silver, induding the Kangyur; numerous xylographs for the commen- taries, exegeses, ceremonies, rites, et cetera, ofthe Ancient Translation SChool; and many stUpas, of which the foremost was the "Great Shrine
ofa Hundred Thousand Images which Liberates When Seen" (sku-'bum rnthong-grol chen-rna). Because Terdak Lingpa was endowed with perfect liberality, he gave generously so that those who received his impartial
Worship and charity might amass the two provisions. In these and other
wayS, his was a wonderfUl, marvellous career, during which he under-
took only those great deeds which increase the spiritual and temporal well-being of the teaching and of living creatures.
When Terdak Lingpa had, for the while, completed such deeds that are associated with inconceivably secret [activity], in February/March 1714 (first month, wood horse), during his sixty-ninth year, he seemed to become somewhat ill. Beginning on Sunday II March (twenty-fifth
day), in particular, he bestowed his final instructions on his immediate family members. From that time onwards, those who remained to serve
k)
fire sna e , f. . nsic awareness, .
1128 his expenence of the s whereby subJect and
radiance and emptiness reality). Therefore, this wa; ob0 ect dissolved In the exp -eminently by means 0
J b half of living creatures pre i ' d and vast wheel of the toacton e dtheproloun . " .
h so he continually turne
speec . f dOsciples of supeno , doctrine for a host 0 I
in September/October
(khrums month, water pIg experience which wasborn
)
year, o h0
1129 Terdak Lingpa's thlrty-elghot 0' lOt" e cogmtIon,
exemplified by the "blIss of
pti-
d mindoftherea pnsIn 0 t dwithawarenessan em
In and of the four delights assocdla emutability, steadily increased me I . ergence,an 1m . h timeto
ess supreme bhss, co-em
n , of the path of a messenger.
IllO Therefore, It was t e .
by means
b h If
by means 0
f buddha-mind, DespIte ,
of living creatures
Id ontmue to tea
ch the doctnnal trans- . bT
act on e a
the fact that he che especially assumed responsl
" in general, WIthout las, , b forcible means to e 0
b miSSIOns ·d· fortunate diSCiples y . . planted dir-
for above all, gUi mg . ine cognition, havmg 1m .
the'face ofOnaturallypresent, for whatever profound gUidance oh theIr mInds Instruct
. . . Ifor he savour which IS Identlca
' to act all-pervasIVely, t o o he became utterly ree the time II In all hiS actions, h . me
of living creatures equa If-interested thought and passed t e tI nd from the entanglements 0 se activities of exegesis, a d engaged in the wholly in his heart only the tempora an work, with great courage. . and living creatures. _
al well-being of the all-knowing supreme con spintu 'ng that exegetical activIty. The, tly studied all sorts of
Concerm . L pre-emmen . I d ueror, the Great Fifth Dalal under Terdak Lingpa, mc u :
ectlyWI! m
uld mature them.
these ways, he came to buddhas. Illl Therefore, I! was the three indestructible enlightened activity on
0'
qrofound and extensive doctrmal cy
Ancient Translation School (snga
the title of Tz-shzh. ht
P mgthe reew
us Collected Tantras ofthe
0
h'
d ferredon 1m
' ur rgyud-'bum rin-po-ehe), an. teaching activity was such t a fxemplified by this, Terdak Lmgp aches to the doctrine, mcludmg
he continuously confer:ded transmissions 0Sf thhe
T ItionC00, rans a . to the
t
mined precepts and treasure
the empowermen
,
0
s of the AnCient
of th
hools and the cycles belongmg d of
s gm ance,
e new translatIon sc
mantras d 'th the respec
tl've intellectual nee s
d f m
IS T Kham, Kongpo, t indIvldua s, Central Tibet, sang, b Among them were many grea , Tak-
,
- [He did so] in accoOr WI h
shutras.
h and low, w 0
"h
faithfully gathere
· fortunate diSCiples, Ig Mon to the sout, g. I
h without num er.
elsew ere, 0 d the high positions of Sakya,
Ph kmotru, Dngung, . .
who occuple
lung, and so forth; arIstocrats, 1
a
and district admInlS-
0
'ncluding governors
0
0
r moderate and InlenOr .
ro
h N an and
0
832 History: Close Lineages o f the Treasures . d f h w m 1133
mel harmonlOussoun 0 asa. ' him constantly heard the extre y . de of the outer wall. Slmul-
from the western Sl b d which seemed to come hor completely pervaded his e room,
taneously, the scent of camp . of Saturday 17 March (second
Dalai Lama, and his regent Sangye Gyamtso,1136 who were the sun and moon [among those with whom he enjoyed] a patron-priest relationship; Rikdzin Perna Trhinle of Dorje Trak; Sakya Trhicen Ktinga Trashi; the Zhapdrung along with his successor and the other great personages at the earlier and later seats of Tsedong [i. e. Tsetang and Neudong]; the Tshurpu Gyeltsap and the Trehor Choktrtil, among holders of the Kamtsang [i. e. Karma Kagyli] teaching; Drigung KoncokTrhinle Zangpo; TaklungpaTendzin Sizhi Namgyel; [the rebirth of] the all-knowing Drukpa Paksam Wangpo; the Gampo Choktrul Zangpo Dorje, and his descen- dants; Chamdo Gyelwa Phakpa Lha; Ngawang Choki Trtilku; Ngawang Ktinga Tendzin of Dokam; the former and later Tabla; the Katok Gyelse [Sonam Detsen]; and the second Dzokcen Perna Rikdzin Gyurme Thekcok Tendzin. As exemplified by these, among the major- ity of great famous gurus who were holders of the teaching, there seem to have been none who did not supplicate him.
Terdak Lingpa's sole, inner spiritual son was his younger brother Locen DharmasrI, an emanation of Y udra Nyingpo. The offsprings of his body were his sons Perna Gyurme Gyamtso, Zhapdrung Yizhin Lekdrup, Trincen Rincen Namgyel, and his daughter, the venerable
1137
lady Mingyur Peldron.
Gyamtso, Ngak Rapjampa Orgyen Chodra, and Bumrampa Orgyen Kelzang and others were disciples who could uphold the great pillar of the teaching. These and the great perfect gathering [which assembled around Terdak Lingpa] vastly increased the enlightened activities of exegesis and attainment.
This great treasure-finder, directly and indirectly, was most gra- cious to the entire teaching, ancient and new. More than that, he maintained the vitality of the instructions of the minor doctrinal traditions, such as the Conangpa, Shangpa, Pacification and Object of Cutting (zhi-gcod), and Podongpa, both through his own powers and by encouraging others.
In particular, at that time the exegesis and attainment ofthe wonderful traditions which were the legacy of Trhisong Detsen and the priests he patronised, namely, the transmitted precepts of the Nyingmapa, the Ancient Translation School, of which the foremost is the trilogy of the SUtra which Gathers All Intentions) the Magical Net) and the Mental Class, had almost become like a lamp that had run out of oil. Terdak Lingpa, with courageous and untiring great perseverance, sought out [those traditions], and restored the deteriorated teaching from its very foundations by means of exegesis, attainment, and work. In point of fact, because of the kindness of this most venerable master, his brother, disciples, and descendants, the Sa-nga Nyingmapa, or the "ancient school of secret mantra", has been equal to the meaning of its name, and its genuine, authoritative continuous lineage has increased, without decline, down to the present day. Therefore, none can match Terdak

h the morn1ng
inside and out. T en, on . d "I must take seven steps toward the east.
"
day, second month), he . sa1 , sat down cross-legged and, as dafter movmg seven steps, .
He rose an ,
his Dying Testament
('d '-ka'i zhal-chems), sa1d: a
nd awareness are deities, mantras, and the dispoSItlOn. 0;t e of buddha-body
. d
Slghts, soun sa. . h b d of reality,
Spreading forth Y as t e
and pristine
In the experiential cultlVatlOn 0
f the great profound ,
and secret yoga,. d. . ·bl M they become m 1V1S1 e, ay . . d'
innermost pOlnt of mm .
. " the dflkinls have arnved to usher me 0 .
Afterwards, he Said, Now . f 1 ·ng the hand-drum and bell, He moved his hands in the moment, he and adopted a [contemplatIve] g . . les and so demonstrated h1S
ns and great m1rac , 1134
of one savour in the
revealed wondrous ome . 1 passage to the great terrestna pu
. .
Terdak Lingpa's d1Sc1ples, in a prophetic declaration from a
sons of his speech, are descn e treasure (gter-lung):
As for the disciples of the Who will maintain their
will include later incarnatIons of the
kin
1 g
They h tt ·ned the leve s, And his subjects who ave a a1 . 1135
. gn and h1S son.
aSfithe to benefit living Th1rty- lVe W1
creatures.