The twO "venerable ones" were Zhangton Ngase and
Khyungpo
Trase.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
So it was that he bore the burden of constant austerity.
One day the guru brought a rosewood bowl, which could hold nine handfuls, and said, "Do you have anything to drink? " When offered ale-stew, Zurpoche drank two bowls full.
"Bring more," he said, and continued to drink. Then he said, "Is there anymore? "
"There is about one quart," answered Zurcungpa.
"Now that is not enough. If it were enough, your merit would be the greatest in Tibet. None the less, because of your veneration of me, your merits will still be great. " He gave Zurcungpa three loads of barley and said, "When this barley is finished you will not be without neces- sities. "
Zurcungpa persevered day and night in all of his studies and in meditation. Because he was an emanation the expanse of his discrimin- ative awareness unfolded. But although he had inconceivable spiritual experiences and realisations, Zurcungpa could not even afford the supplies for copying books. At that point, Lharje Zurpoche said, "In the place called Phen-gi Khangon lives a wealthy lady meditator named Como Yumo and her daughter. You should stay with them. "
"I will not be a householder," replied Zurcungpa.
"Do not be narrow-minded," said the master. "I know the divisions between what the Teacher permitted and what he forbade. If you use the resources of those two, you can ask for empowerments, copy books, and receive the entire doctrine, without remainder. They will both acquire merit for it, and you will accomplish your own purpose. That would be best. "
Zurcungpa obeyed and all his wishes were fulfilled. Then, the guru said, "Now, don't stay there anymore. Bring your books and other necessities of worship here gradually and then come to me. "
"But is it right to do so? " asked Zurcungpa. "Those two have been very kind. "
"Do not be small-minded! You will have the power to benefit the world. In this degenerate age you must propagate the teaching of the Buddha and benefit many beings. How could you be more grateful to them? But if you just hide out there, you will succeed in helping neither yourself, nor others. "
Zurcungpa obeyed the command exactly, and the guru's intention was precisely fulfilled.
On one occasion Lharje Zurpoche saw Zurcungpa circumambulate a stl1pa near his residence. His feet were moving one cubit above the ground. The guru realised that he was an emanation and thought, "It is a great wonder. " He was highly delighted.
So it was that when Zurcungpa wandered afar and was tormented by intense heat in a desolate valley, he was offered a refreshing drink
the same clan as the guru, so e sal
(Zurcung) " The nickname stuck. Knowing hIm to be wo. rt? y,
Zur-
·e him study. He developed supreme intellectual pochemad b· d b gathenng up At first because of extreme poverty, he slste y f h But
the torma; scattered by the guru, and makmg ale-stew 0 tIIemf· Ie" . h "Thesoursme 0 a ,
the other students complamed to t h f£ they said, "lingers on his NeIther oes" eo er a
Ie to the guru, d ollect
c
wood. " h th cottage but it is In Zurcungpa's absence he had them searc e derneath a
said that all they found was a full of ale-. stew : v e nothing tattered blanket. At this the guru SaId, Zurcungpa, If you .
to eat, come to my own hearth. "
nor does he give any to hIS splntual brothers.
Therefore, the guru said, "Zurcungpa, today you are to go an
'.
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 637
638 History: The Distant Lineage a/Transmitted Precepts
[by the local deities]. When he went to meditate on a lonely mountain peak and grew hungry, he was offered food. So he easily achieved whatever his heart desired, and thought, "Now, if I act on behalf of the world, I will succeed. " Lama Zurpoche, too, said, "Now, you must teach. " Zurcungpa taught the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions and could gather at once three hundred disciples displaying the t. ext. 765
At the time the guru praised Zurcungpa greatly, but certam people were somewhat disrespectful and said, "The guru praises his Own nephew too highly! ,,766 Zurpoche knew that they would incur great demerit by slandering a guru. . . .
It so happened that on one occasion the master and all hIS dIscIples went to attend a religious festival767 in a place called Emar Dorjepo. In a gully, there was a vermin-infested bitch and her puppies. Lama Zurpoche only petted the bitch, but Z. urcungpa killed the puppies, and then swallowed the vermm. The others saId, a lunatic as this Zurcungpa has been appointed to explain the doctnne! Even our benefactors will lose their devotion. "
But the guru replied, "Even I knew the dogs were bound for the evil destinies,768 but I could not 'liberate' them. Zurcungpa has done so, and it is a great wonder. "
At that, Zurcungpa adopted a gaze and the dead dogs were turned into offering goddesses. He vomited up the vermin and they flew off into the sky. Zurpoche said, "Now, are you not astonished? "
But they replied, "It is merely an optical illusion. "
Afterwards, they came to the Shang River, which was flooding. By his miraculous powers, Zurpoche threw a skull-cup to the slope ofthe oppo- site bank and said, "I shall entrust my college to whoever retrieves it. " The other three "summits" could not reach it, but Zurcungpa walked across, his feet not touching the water, and retrieved the skull-cup.
Zurpoche urged them to compete in the power of levitation. Among the other teachers and meditators, including the four "summits", there were those who could travel without their feet touching the ground. But Zurcungpa ascended into the air as high as a palmyra tree and was the first to reach the hermitage at Trampa. At that, the other three "summits" began to believe in him and then served the guru completely by obeying each of his commands. .
Once Zurcungpa received a prophecy in three stages concermng a sacred location· but because that yogin who had realised emptiness was free from deliberate grasping, he dismissed it all as delusion. Finally, five sixteen-year-old girls, adorned with bone ornaments, appeared. They were playing q,amaru and dancing. They said to him, "Brother, if you meditate at Riwo Gudti you will accomplish of yourself and ofothers. " Then, they pointed to Trak Gyawo WIth theIr fingers.
[Seeing that] there were nine peaks, nine rivers, and nine Zurcungpa knew it to be a sign ofthe completeness ofthe nine succeSSIve
vehicles. "That Trak Gyawo", he said, "resembles the transcendent
lord, the Great Glorious Heruka, surrounded by the Eight G - 769 Th Ii ·f I . aUf! .
ere 1 . practIse there, accomplishment will come swiftly, and the wIll be great. Moreover, since the nature of samsara is suffenng, . 1 must cut off worldly entanglements. To achieve ihe goal
? f hves, social diversions and fame are useless. In the short-run It IS dIfficult t. o save. face: and ultimately it is worthless to do so. Therefore, I wdl meditate m solitude. " Entrusting his disciples to the care of three men,,770 and commanding them to preserve
the teachmg of the doctrine, he went off to Trak Gyawo. Arnvlng there, entered exclusively into practice. So, the danger of the local dIVmIty s magical power became very great. How- ever, to . such great bulls among accomplished masters both dream and
wakmg state have the same savour, in that they are fictitious. One mght Zurcungpa dreamt that a black man appeared on the peak of Trak grabbed his two feet together, whirled him overhead and threw hIm. He landed in a wide plain in the river valley of Thak. When
awoke he really f? und. himself in the midst of the plain and had to clImb back up. Despite thIS great magical display he remained
undeterred.
Again, ,,:hen a. the size of a young goat filled his hermitage, s reahsation of cause and effect became manifest. He seIzed the scorpIOn by the claws and tore it in half, saying:
Repenting of each non-virtuous sin I tear the evil scorpion asunder! 771 '
In w:/z he mocked those who rely on the words, rather than the meamng. J:Ie thre,: the scorpion away, whereupon all the pieces were transformed Into Buddha and dissolved into space.
On another ? CCaSIOn, when Zurcungpa was invaded by an army of ants, he told hIS attendant to bring a mallet;773 and with it he crushed the ants. The felt disgusted and said, "Think of the sin! "
Zurcungpa replIed, "If you had no faith in that, I'll do it this way. "
And he poppe. d the ants into his mouth and blew out, whereupon all
of them arose m the form of Vajrasattva and departed into the sky. At that, the attendant developed great faith.
By his inconceivable miraculous abilities to kill and resurrect Zur- three local divinities, who were siblings, under oath fi allegiance. They revealed their forms and prostrated at his
Even today. eXIsts a spring which arose where Zurcungpa pIerced with hIS kIla. And when he performed the practice of the I? edItative of the "seals",774 according to the Secret
Maglcal Net, he had a VISIOn who filled the valley ofThak. Because Zurcungpa had attamed the activity field in which appear- ances are exhausted,775 he could transform his body into a storm
The Lineage a/the Zur Family 639
640 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 641
of fire, water, wind, or earth. All appearances radiantly and resplend- ently partook of the nature of Vajrasattva; and the power of his positive realisations increasingly developed. But he realised that, in fact, they were not reliable. Appearances, mind and reality merged into a single savour and he reached the level on which his intentions were exhausted. He could move unobstructed through earth, stone, mountain, and rock; fly like a bird in the sky; and so forth. So it was that Zurcungpa obtained independence with respect to the five elements.
On one occasion he said, "One month from today a worthy disciple will arrive. " Then, later on, a spiritual benefactor,776 named Ba Getong, who was an adherent of the dialectical school, came to a religious festival in Thak. He sent an intelligent student to debate with Zurcungpa. The student pointed at a pillar and said, "Let the pillar be the topic. "
Zurcungpa said, "The pillar is the topic. To the deluded perceptions of worldlings who are discrete entities, such as yourself, the pillar appears as a discrete entity. But I [am an adept of] the Great Perfection, which concerns what is manifest in and of itself and impartial. [Accord- ing to this] there can be no ontological verification of the pillar. " So saying, he waved his hand and it passed through the pillar without obstruction.
The student was unable to speak for astonishment. He acquired exceptional faith and became Zurcungpa's disciple, Matok Jangbar.
Concerning Zurcungpa's disciples, there were: four "pillars"; eight "rafters"; sixteen "beams"; thirty-two "planks"; two "great meditators"; one "great boaster"; two "simple ones"; two "venerable ones,,;777 three "useless men"; and many others.
The four "pillars" were originally students of the spiritual benefactor Khyungpo Trase,778 who were great dialecticians and intellectually very sharp. When Deshek Gyawopa [i. e. Zurcungpa] and the spiritual benefactor Khyungpo met in Nyangru at the invitation of a patron, Khyungpo sent the four, commanding them to go and refute Zurcungpa, who, he said, was a proponent of erroneous doctrines. When the four entered the presence of the master, he happened to be wearing a fur coat turned inside out. At this one of them said, "Which doctrinal tradition has the custom of wearing an inverted hide? "
"The hide is just as it has always been, so it is not inverted. It is your dogma which confounds inside and outside. " .
One of the other students said, "Very well, but let us dISCUSS the doctrine. "
To which Zurcungpa replied, "The essence of the doctrine is inex- pressible and limitless. How can one discuss doctrine? " . .
At that KyotOn asked, "Well then, according to your tradItIOn of the Great Perfection, is not meditation most important? "
"To what object do I adhere? " Zurcungpa asked in response.
"All right then, but is it non-meditation ? "
"Is there anything that distracts me? " was Zurcungpa's reply. Ahd KyotO? , despite brilliance, could make no further response.
Agam, LentOn Sakya Zangpo asked, "According to the tradition of the Secret Magical Net, do you maintain that all appearances are male and female deities? "
"Who would refute", answered Zurcungpa, "the validity of direct perception, to which discrete, inanimate objects appear? "
"Very well, then you do not maintain [that they are deities]? "
"Who can contradict the intention ofthe sutras and tantras concerning the purification of discrete, impure, delusory appearances [which are perceived by] sentient beings? "
Thus, Zurcungpa eclipsed the sharp, verbal arguments of the four students with his truly powerful answers, just as Rahu eclipses [the sun and moon] with his hands; and he grasped them with the claws of his great compassion, which was wholly other-oriented. In this way, the propensities ? f [the four students'] past deeds were aroused, just
as when master Sura became the disciple of Aryadeva. 779 They said, "Alas! It is hard to find such a spiritual benefactor as this, who possesses an unerring realisation of the meaning of the greater vehicle, and is endowed with the brilliance that comes of awareness and liberation. And yet, ifwe go openly to him at this time our master will be displeased. So, let us take a solemn vow to abandon that master of false sophistry by some means next year, and to associate with this mighty lord of
yoga, who is like the point of a sharp sword cutting through the net of sarpsara. "
After swearing this oath they went away. Then, as bees fly to lotus gardens, just so, when the next year came, they spread the wings of their past propensities and positive aspirations and flew, as if to a vast sandalwood forest, to the college of Deshek Gyawo. There, they became renowned as the four "pillars".
But in the meantime, the four had to return to Khyungpo who said "Did you refute Zurcungpa? " "
"We could not refute him," they replied.
At that, the fierce windstorm of jealousy agitated Khyungpo's mind,
and he announced, "Anyone who kills one like Zurcungpa, who har-
bours perverse opinions and leads everyone astray, will certainly attain buddhahood! "
The disciples of Zurcungpa heard about this and went to inform the master. But since a naturally liberated bodhisattva has no thought of anger, Zurcungpa answered them with silence. In the morning, he sat Upon his teaching throne, smiling.
"'What amuses the guru? " asked the disciples.
"As for doctrines", he answered, "this, my secret mantra tradition of the greater vehicle, is it! For it is the tradition of secret mantra that
642 History: The Distant Lineage ojTransmitted Precepts
maintains that buddhahood may be attained by 'liberation' ;780 the dialec- ticians do not think so. Now, even such a great dialectician as Khyungpo Trase has said that anyone who kills one like Zurcungpa will attain buddhahood. So, in his innermost heart, he has turned to my doctrine.
Therefore, I am delighted! "
(Among the four "pillars":] Kyoton Silk-ye of Kungbu was the pillar
of the Mental Class; Yangkeng Lama of Kyonglung was the pillar of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions; Len Sakya Zangpo of Chuwar was the pillar of the Magical Net; and Datik Co-sak of Nakmore was
the pillar of ritual and means for attainment. With the addition of Matok Cangbar they are also known as the five lineage-holders.
The eight "rafters" were: Matokpa, Kyoton Choseng, Lensak Cangcup, Tsak Silkring, Nupti:in Pakma, Opa Sator, Shiiton Dadra, and Tsetrom Cangpel. Sometimes Lala Zicen, Nelba Nyingpo, and Ngamttin Gye1wa are also counted with them. The twO "great
meditators" were Bagom Tikma and Pongom Topa. The one "great boaster" was Ziton Sogyel of Lato.
The twO "venerable ones" were Zhangton Ngase and Khyungpo Trase. I shall not enumerate the
names of the "beams" , "planks" , and other ordinary disciples. The three "useless men" were Gocatsha, Mikcung Wangseng, and Gocung
W ange.
Lama Zurcungpa resolved to remain absorbed in practice for twenty-
four continuous years on Mount Trak Gyawo, and so to pass away in the rainbow body. But because he had to break his retreat for twO reasons, he remained there for thirteen whole years and one part-year,
fourteen in all. At one point he spent a long period without even his attendant coming to serve him. Eventually, when no trace of smoke or noise emerged from his hermitage, the attendant, fearing that some
illness had befallen the master, went to investigate. He found the guru with his mouth and nose covered with cobwebs. Thinking that he had passed away, he cried out loud. The master's concentration was dis-
turbed and he said, "If I had remained in that state I would have
become free from this burdensome skull! Now I shall have to take birth
once more. " It is said that [this was fulfilled when) he was reborn as 781
the Great Translator of Sakya.
It appears that this (account refers to] the indication of success on
the path, whereby the body becomes many particles of the pure essence (i. e. light] alone, (which takes place] when (clinging to] reality is
782 exhausted all at once.
Again, one morning Zurcungpa said, "Prepare lunch. Let's cook
green vegetables this time. "
The attendant had not yet boiled the water when the guru arrived,
cartying fresh vegetables, and said, "1 have circumambulated Uk-
palung. Why have you not boiled the water? "
The attendant exclaimed, "Surely you are jokingl"
urcungpa gave him a present wh· h Z
morning. Then with great . . IC urpoche had given him that
Z The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 643
, conVIction th d
guru has undoubtedly attained· d d' e ant thought, "My
andmind! "Andthushedevelm edPedn WIthrespecttovitalenergy
T h h ope evotIOn eot erreasonthatZurcun ah
. .
the three "useless men" could gp to leave hls. hermitage was that
to Go Khukpa [Lhetse]783 sa . not hUP hold the teachmg: Gocatsha went ymgt at eneededth M h
the background for the path of skilful mea " e ot er tantras as to Sumpa Yebar saying that h d ns. Mlkcung Wangseng went
background for the projection of [tantras] as the
to Pangka Tarcungwa saying that he ne·· a. "Gocung Wange went
for the philosophy of the gr d d eded lOgIC as the background Am oun an path.
" ong them, [the first did not realise h
skIlful means and of II"berat" 785 t at] because the paths of
IOn are both c " d "
leus: this fulfils the definition f M h ontame m the Secret Nuc-
"twisted his eyes backwards inat:eir er (the second] had realtse that] the maw;! ala is [alread r . ckets. because [he did not [of realIty]; and the third dOd y] P o)ected m the natural dIsposition
philosophy, does not get to thle that logic, as a verbal
these three useless men could not ground and path. Therefore,
Zurcungpa had to break hI"S preserve the college; and consequently " retreat.
StIll another reason was that th
arrive at the conclusion of coal e Zurpoche desired to
escence even before he had completed the final
of the Dropuk Temple Z
with t b d " "
ou a. an onmg hIS body,
"constructIOn and consecration
of the guru, who said ;'Y urcungpa arnved to comply with the order It I h , o u must preserve my legacy"
a so appened that when th I" h . cungpahadbecomeextensive, Ig tenedactivity. ofDeshekZur-
i-or wh ere mantn? s m TIbet who
dour of mighty yogins wh g I eh dements, cannot endure the splen- " ' 0 equa t eBuddha [G·" dh" "
dId not make obeisance to him
d sIt m a supenor position, the
translator Go [Khukpa Lhetse
rna eo eIsancetohim " "
lationschoolsshouldneither kecrebe" t
seat. One day, when all had assembl translator Go arrived after Zurc ed for a great festIval m Shang, the row. Then, because the who seated at the head of the clever with words, but enga ed in splntual benefactors who are
mthemannerof[theBuddh ' ]fi ' " a s lVe noble com
keep theIr agreement _ were sta tl d
to prostrate was erased. The be ,and all evidence ofthe promise not
Yt ekcame five-branched vines, cling- an 0 rna eobeIsance Th h
en the festival
Zurcungpa, but were you not t'he fi a Pdromised not to prostrate before He " 1rstto 0so)"
rephed, "When I came beD re h" .
was the transcendent lord G GOl "1m I could not tell whether he
ut, otherwise, I could not c " f " u a, or Just urcungpa. B oncelVe 0 hIm as a man. "
mg to the ground and beg ,
was over, the others asked Go "W ell . . en, w
' reat onous Her k " Z
0 an .
ISdIsciples]-
pamons, who could not
644
History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
which the sap was oozing, which he cut down and sanctified for the construction of the shrine. When he offered the first fruits of the tree to the guru, the local divinity Trhengwa sent a tamarisk pillar, which had been left behind, down the Tsangpo River. But the pillar sank for five days at Ngamongtrhang, and so it did not arrive. Zurcungpa sent two disciples there with this command: "Put this white torma on the rock; throw this red torma into the water; and tell them to bring Lama Zurcungpa's wood immediately! "
When threatened in this way the lord of the waters took fright and sent the wood on at once. Other spirits also obeyed Zurcungpa's com- mand.
As the time approached for Lharje Zurcungpa, the possessor of such magnificent attributes, to enter nirva. Q. a, the disciples implored him to beget a son and heir. Zurcungpa invited the Lord of Secrets, Vajrapa. Q. i, into the womb of his consort by means of the contemplation of the five awakenings. [His heir,] Zur Sakya Senge, was thus clearly endowed with the wonderful marks and signs [of a buddha].
Zurcungpa then delivered [his testament] which is well known as the Eighty Oral Instructions (zhal-gyi gdams-pa brgyad-cu-pa), and which begins:
Be a child of the mountains. Wear ragged clothes.
Eat plain food.
Ignore your enemies.
Leave your fields untilled.
Be decisive about the doctrine. . .
In his sixty-first year, 1074 (wood male tiger), while dwelling at Trak Gyawo, Zurcungpa, accompanied by light and earthquakes, departed for AkaniHha, the Citadel of the Indestructible Array.
Lekden Degii
, . I
A ain because Zurcungpa s maglca power
Swere most vast, he is ould
fam:d having travelled to a? d on the of the a
teach the doctrine three times m a smgle day I? very Drem 1 P and an . . Uk lung a midday seSSlOn at ropu (,
morning m pa 'Similarl because he saw the Qakinls evening seSSlOn at Trak Gyawo. . y'. d built a shrine with
dancing at Lhazermo,. they entered hIS columns. It became nine supports: seven pIllars and two esp h ':Dakinls' Shrine". Images well known as the Khandro Lhakang, t e . De ti the protector
of the Forty-two [Peaceful] Buddhas and of both the
of the transmitted precepts, were Net] were painted
expanded and condensed mat;Qalas. 0 hi ped the image
ZUR DROPUKP A
SAKYA
SENGE
on the walls. During the teaching of 111
[360. 1-367. 3] Zurcungpa's son, the great Lord of Secrets of Dropuk, Zur Sakya Senge, was like the fountain-head of the exegesis of the Secret Nucleus in Tibet.
Zurcungpa had a female disciple named Cosemo Damo Tsuktorcam, in whose womb, he realised, an emanation could be conceived. He asked her brother, Datik Cosak, who was one of the four "pillars", if he could have his sister; and Datik replied, "Just as you command. " Datik placed a vajra and bell in her hands and told her to present them to the guru personally, rather than through an intermediary, and so created a most auspicious coincidence. But because the guru did not marry her, the host of his students became very hostile and proposed
of Lekden with his sleeve and saId, Wd 'you p d Then Zurcungpa
)"A tht theimagebowe Itshea . ,
the Buddha. t a, . J I)" And the lips of the image
ewe s.
trembled.
In the way,. when on the very spot where the
One he built a shnne to Yang k J bar had a diseased tree, frorn Heruka's left foot had rested. Mato ang
asked, "Will you exalt the PreCIOUS
h d a vision of the Great GlorioUS
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 645
646 History: The Distant Lineage ojTransmitted Precepts
_ h . d "I dreamt that a master of the K otonSak-yet ensal , ,
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 647 Just then, a wealthy nun came to offer many loads of barley and a
great quantity of butter. A benefactor also arrived from Dokam to make offerings. Zurcungpa exclaimed, "The butter paste to moisten his palate has arrived. This one has merits! He will even serve the world! " Thus he rejoiced.
When the child was eight months old his father passed away. He was brought up by his mother and maternal uncle, and lived for fifteen years in the upper valley ofDa. Then he approached Len Sakya Zangpo in Chuwar, where he received the tantra of the Secret Magical Net. He also went to Yangkeng in Kyonglung to study the doctrine. In his
789
and his enlightened activity became quite extensive; so he was distracted from his studies. Sub- sequently, he found the opportunity to spend one year with Kyoton in Kongbu, but afterwards his enlightened activity once more increased and he had no chance to travel anywhere. He invited a host of learned
and accomplished gurus to his home and completed his studies. From the four "pillars" he received, completely and perfectly, the doctrines of his father, including: the trilogy of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions) the Magical Net and the Mental Class; and the tantras, esoterics instructions, rites, means for attainment, practical techniques, and empowerments [belonging to that cycle of doctrines]. In particular, he obtained the cycle of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions in detail from his uncle Datik; the Great Perfection according to the tradition of the cycles (rdzogs-chen skor-lugs? 90 from Len Sakya Cangcup; the final lineage of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen brgyud-pa tha-ma) from Lharje Shangnak; et cetera. In short, he resolved his doubts by studying and reflecting under [the guidance of] many gurus. He presented [manu- scripts of] the long, medium and short versions of the Mother [i. e. the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness], and other boun- tiful offerings to all those gurus under whom he studied his own spiritual
tradition, so that he gained their favour.
After practising for a long time at Dropuk in Nyari, he "hammered
home the four nails" ,791 as described in the esoteric instructional tantras with reference to the stages of creation and perfection. After blending inseparably with the body, speech and mind of his meditational deity he acquired, even during his youth, great radiance, and could overcome everyone with his charisma.
On one occasion Dropukpa went with four disciples to meet Phadampa Sangye, who was then living in Tingri. The day he was to arrive Phadampa said, "Today an emanation of Vajrapal)i will arrive. We must welcome him. "
After they had arranged the silks, parasols792 and other paraphernalia, and the day was growing old, five mantrins, a master and his disciples, arrived. Phadampa's disciples said to him, "There is no one else it could be. "
. hh
to baniS er.
y . If [her child] is seen as the master s doctrine sat upon her nng-finger. h' Let her remain. "
heir, it may possibly images of the Buddha and Similarly, other h 1 d 's body. Hence, she was allowed
golden vajras dIssolved mto t e a Y
to ____
Zur Dropukpa Sakya Senge
h h great translator Ngok In 1074 (wood male tiger year), w en tDe ukpa was born. The
. h' . t nthyear rop
[Loden Sherap] was m IS ee d h' omb I had an intimation
. "Wh h' on ofmmeentere erw fi guru SaId, . en t s d' h Therefore he will come to bene It that Vajrapal)I had dIssolve mto / _er. ,
" H d the boy Sakya Senge.
e name th'n and became utterly pos-
the world.
The father renounced abs. olutely ulstgthe other day you were
sessionless. His cons? rt . sald hIm, bave not even provided butter considerate of our son s bIrth. ow, you
Paste to moisten his palate. " . 1· d "If he has ments Zurcungpa rep Ie , h
the necessities will arrive, even .
'11 be no advantage m my . d' h Ifnot t ereWI h
without my provi mg tern. 'h
. "Then esa
t down on the roof of t e .
providing for hIm anyway. , houseJ88
nineteenth year, he had his investiture
648 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
And he said, "Welcome them. "
At the same time, Lharje Dropukpa said [to his own disciples], "I must test whether Phadampa possesses supernormal cognitive powers. " He sent one disciple ahead disguised as himself, while he followed behind like a common servant. Phadampa saw there was a goitre on Dropukpa's throat, and said, "Let the one who has the goitre lead the way. It would be best if master and disciple were not out of order! " Dropukpa became most devoted to him and received Phadampa's nec- tar-like doctrine. And Phadampa inspired Dropukpa saying, "He will become the great glory of [the Buddha's] teaching in general. "
On another occasion, when he was having a painting of VajrapaJ)i designed, Dropukpa told the artist, "Draw it thus! " And he clearly appeared in the form of VajrapaJ)i. For these and many other reasons it was well known that he was the glorious Lord of Secrets, who had come to extend the teaching of secret mantra in this northern land [of Tibet].
Generally speaking, the host of Dropukpa's disciples was countless; but, in particular, he produced a thousand disciples who merited p a r a s o l s . T h e y w e r e g r e a t s p i r i t u a l w h o u p h e l d t h e seminaries and protected the teaching. As a result, his enlightened activity over a long period was inconceivable.
Once, when he was teaching the doctrine in Dropuk, he sat on a backless teaching throne, and students surrounded him on all sides. He appeared to be facing his audience in all directions. Therefore, they were convinced that he was actually the representative of the lord of the maJ)C;iala of the Magical Net of Vajrasattva and he became renowned as an undisputed emanation.
When Dropukpa taught the doctrine there were about five hundred who displayed the texts during the summer and winter sessions, and about three hundred during the autumn and spring. Generally speaking, he had over ten thousand students; so people would often resort to paying a gold coin for a suitable little spot within earshot of his teaching court.
Dropukpa was perfectly endowed with the attributes of knowledge, love and power. He acquired the eye of the doctrine, having thoroughly mastered the meaning of the Glorious Tantra of the Secret Nucleus, which is Definitive with Respect to the Real (Srfguhyagarbhatattvavinis- cayamahatantra, T 832). In consequence, the so-called teaching tradi- tion of the Lord of Secrets, Dropukpa, has continued to be discussed even up to the present day, and is renowned like the sun and moon.
Dropukpa had twelve disciples who gained his favour: four "black ones"; four "teachers"; and four "grandfathers". The four "black ones" [nag-po, so called because their names all contained the element nag, "black"] were Ceton Gyanak, Zurnak Khorlo, Nyangnak Dow. o, and Danak Tsuktor Wangcuk. The four "teachers" [ston-pa, whose names
TheLineageofth Z 17 .
all contained ston "to tea h"] e urL>amzly 649
G·· ' C were NyeC Ch··
onp? , ZhangtOn, and GyatOn The four02 oseng, GyaptOn Dorje
were Tsangpa y . . grandfathers" [mes-po, Un- Upa Choseng. This enumerat" '. uton Horpo, BangtOn Cakyu and o f Z u r " ; b u t i n t h e I S r e n o w n e d a s t h e " U p p e r
a dIfferent lineageJ93 ower [or Khampa] Tradition" there is
When the time came for the
perform his final deed he saI'd t thgrefiat Lord of Secrets, Dropukpa to
'0
or a east offering. I shall also k . ers, nng the supplies
fi fi
e Our"teach ""B' ,
his command and the m : e a collectIOn. " The four "teachers" III Dropuk, where they held a Yb summit of Takla Ridong structed them in many secret u east offering. Dropukpa in-
absence. Now, without relinqu' Ings and said, "Do not mourn my the awareness-holders. my b? dy, I shall go to the level lIneage and the teaching will flourish wIll prosper hereafter. Your
Dropukpa sang a song of inde . . ' .
and singing different hymns h realIty In his glorious voice e
Finally, he altogether. and into the by heart-breakIng grief and wailed with 1 teachers were tormented and called out his name '1 h ament. They wallowed on the
and saId, "You ought not to beh unt{'k e descended again like a bird before, . but you have this. I you good advice
even a lIttle prosperity. "
1 .
ow, my lIneage will not have
Then, in the next year 1135 (
first, Dropukpa passed into the . dmale tiger), which was his sixty- Place ?
One day the guru brought a rosewood bowl, which could hold nine handfuls, and said, "Do you have anything to drink? " When offered ale-stew, Zurpoche drank two bowls full.
"Bring more," he said, and continued to drink. Then he said, "Is there anymore? "
"There is about one quart," answered Zurcungpa.
"Now that is not enough. If it were enough, your merit would be the greatest in Tibet. None the less, because of your veneration of me, your merits will still be great. " He gave Zurcungpa three loads of barley and said, "When this barley is finished you will not be without neces- sities. "
Zurcungpa persevered day and night in all of his studies and in meditation. Because he was an emanation the expanse of his discrimin- ative awareness unfolded. But although he had inconceivable spiritual experiences and realisations, Zurcungpa could not even afford the supplies for copying books. At that point, Lharje Zurpoche said, "In the place called Phen-gi Khangon lives a wealthy lady meditator named Como Yumo and her daughter. You should stay with them. "
"I will not be a householder," replied Zurcungpa.
"Do not be narrow-minded," said the master. "I know the divisions between what the Teacher permitted and what he forbade. If you use the resources of those two, you can ask for empowerments, copy books, and receive the entire doctrine, without remainder. They will both acquire merit for it, and you will accomplish your own purpose. That would be best. "
Zurcungpa obeyed and all his wishes were fulfilled. Then, the guru said, "Now, don't stay there anymore. Bring your books and other necessities of worship here gradually and then come to me. "
"But is it right to do so? " asked Zurcungpa. "Those two have been very kind. "
"Do not be small-minded! You will have the power to benefit the world. In this degenerate age you must propagate the teaching of the Buddha and benefit many beings. How could you be more grateful to them? But if you just hide out there, you will succeed in helping neither yourself, nor others. "
Zurcungpa obeyed the command exactly, and the guru's intention was precisely fulfilled.
On one occasion Lharje Zurpoche saw Zurcungpa circumambulate a stl1pa near his residence. His feet were moving one cubit above the ground. The guru realised that he was an emanation and thought, "It is a great wonder. " He was highly delighted.
So it was that when Zurcungpa wandered afar and was tormented by intense heat in a desolate valley, he was offered a refreshing drink
the same clan as the guru, so e sal
(Zurcung) " The nickname stuck. Knowing hIm to be wo. rt? y,
Zur-
·e him study. He developed supreme intellectual pochemad b· d b gathenng up At first because of extreme poverty, he slste y f h But
the torma; scattered by the guru, and makmg ale-stew 0 tIIemf· Ie" . h "Thesoursme 0 a ,
the other students complamed to t h f£ they said, "lingers on his NeIther oes" eo er a
Ie to the guru, d ollect
c
wood. " h th cottage but it is In Zurcungpa's absence he had them searc e derneath a
said that all they found was a full of ale-. stew : v e nothing tattered blanket. At this the guru SaId, Zurcungpa, If you .
to eat, come to my own hearth. "
nor does he give any to hIS splntual brothers.
Therefore, the guru said, "Zurcungpa, today you are to go an
'.
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 637
638 History: The Distant Lineage a/Transmitted Precepts
[by the local deities]. When he went to meditate on a lonely mountain peak and grew hungry, he was offered food. So he easily achieved whatever his heart desired, and thought, "Now, if I act on behalf of the world, I will succeed. " Lama Zurpoche, too, said, "Now, you must teach. " Zurcungpa taught the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions and could gather at once three hundred disciples displaying the t. ext. 765
At the time the guru praised Zurcungpa greatly, but certam people were somewhat disrespectful and said, "The guru praises his Own nephew too highly! ,,766 Zurpoche knew that they would incur great demerit by slandering a guru. . . .
It so happened that on one occasion the master and all hIS dIscIples went to attend a religious festival767 in a place called Emar Dorjepo. In a gully, there was a vermin-infested bitch and her puppies. Lama Zurpoche only petted the bitch, but Z. urcungpa killed the puppies, and then swallowed the vermm. The others saId, a lunatic as this Zurcungpa has been appointed to explain the doctnne! Even our benefactors will lose their devotion. "
But the guru replied, "Even I knew the dogs were bound for the evil destinies,768 but I could not 'liberate' them. Zurcungpa has done so, and it is a great wonder. "
At that, Zurcungpa adopted a gaze and the dead dogs were turned into offering goddesses. He vomited up the vermin and they flew off into the sky. Zurpoche said, "Now, are you not astonished? "
But they replied, "It is merely an optical illusion. "
Afterwards, they came to the Shang River, which was flooding. By his miraculous powers, Zurpoche threw a skull-cup to the slope ofthe oppo- site bank and said, "I shall entrust my college to whoever retrieves it. " The other three "summits" could not reach it, but Zurcungpa walked across, his feet not touching the water, and retrieved the skull-cup.
Zurpoche urged them to compete in the power of levitation. Among the other teachers and meditators, including the four "summits", there were those who could travel without their feet touching the ground. But Zurcungpa ascended into the air as high as a palmyra tree and was the first to reach the hermitage at Trampa. At that, the other three "summits" began to believe in him and then served the guru completely by obeying each of his commands. .
Once Zurcungpa received a prophecy in three stages concermng a sacred location· but because that yogin who had realised emptiness was free from deliberate grasping, he dismissed it all as delusion. Finally, five sixteen-year-old girls, adorned with bone ornaments, appeared. They were playing q,amaru and dancing. They said to him, "Brother, if you meditate at Riwo Gudti you will accomplish of yourself and ofothers. " Then, they pointed to Trak Gyawo WIth theIr fingers.
[Seeing that] there were nine peaks, nine rivers, and nine Zurcungpa knew it to be a sign ofthe completeness ofthe nine succeSSIve
vehicles. "That Trak Gyawo", he said, "resembles the transcendent
lord, the Great Glorious Heruka, surrounded by the Eight G - 769 Th Ii ·f I . aUf! .
ere 1 . practIse there, accomplishment will come swiftly, and the wIll be great. Moreover, since the nature of samsara is suffenng, . 1 must cut off worldly entanglements. To achieve ihe goal
? f hves, social diversions and fame are useless. In the short-run It IS dIfficult t. o save. face: and ultimately it is worthless to do so. Therefore, I wdl meditate m solitude. " Entrusting his disciples to the care of three men,,770 and commanding them to preserve
the teachmg of the doctrine, he went off to Trak Gyawo. Arnvlng there, entered exclusively into practice. So, the danger of the local dIVmIty s magical power became very great. How- ever, to . such great bulls among accomplished masters both dream and
wakmg state have the same savour, in that they are fictitious. One mght Zurcungpa dreamt that a black man appeared on the peak of Trak grabbed his two feet together, whirled him overhead and threw hIm. He landed in a wide plain in the river valley of Thak. When
awoke he really f? und. himself in the midst of the plain and had to clImb back up. Despite thIS great magical display he remained
undeterred.
Again, ,,:hen a. the size of a young goat filled his hermitage, s reahsation of cause and effect became manifest. He seIzed the scorpIOn by the claws and tore it in half, saying:
Repenting of each non-virtuous sin I tear the evil scorpion asunder! 771 '
In w:/z he mocked those who rely on the words, rather than the meamng. J:Ie thre,: the scorpion away, whereupon all the pieces were transformed Into Buddha and dissolved into space.
On another ? CCaSIOn, when Zurcungpa was invaded by an army of ants, he told hIS attendant to bring a mallet;773 and with it he crushed the ants. The felt disgusted and said, "Think of the sin! "
Zurcungpa replIed, "If you had no faith in that, I'll do it this way. "
And he poppe. d the ants into his mouth and blew out, whereupon all
of them arose m the form of Vajrasattva and departed into the sky. At that, the attendant developed great faith.
By his inconceivable miraculous abilities to kill and resurrect Zur- three local divinities, who were siblings, under oath fi allegiance. They revealed their forms and prostrated at his
Even today. eXIsts a spring which arose where Zurcungpa pIerced with hIS kIla. And when he performed the practice of the I? edItative of the "seals",774 according to the Secret
Maglcal Net, he had a VISIOn who filled the valley ofThak. Because Zurcungpa had attamed the activity field in which appear- ances are exhausted,775 he could transform his body into a storm
The Lineage a/the Zur Family 639
640 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 641
of fire, water, wind, or earth. All appearances radiantly and resplend- ently partook of the nature of Vajrasattva; and the power of his positive realisations increasingly developed. But he realised that, in fact, they were not reliable. Appearances, mind and reality merged into a single savour and he reached the level on which his intentions were exhausted. He could move unobstructed through earth, stone, mountain, and rock; fly like a bird in the sky; and so forth. So it was that Zurcungpa obtained independence with respect to the five elements.
On one occasion he said, "One month from today a worthy disciple will arrive. " Then, later on, a spiritual benefactor,776 named Ba Getong, who was an adherent of the dialectical school, came to a religious festival in Thak. He sent an intelligent student to debate with Zurcungpa. The student pointed at a pillar and said, "Let the pillar be the topic. "
Zurcungpa said, "The pillar is the topic. To the deluded perceptions of worldlings who are discrete entities, such as yourself, the pillar appears as a discrete entity. But I [am an adept of] the Great Perfection, which concerns what is manifest in and of itself and impartial. [Accord- ing to this] there can be no ontological verification of the pillar. " So saying, he waved his hand and it passed through the pillar without obstruction.
The student was unable to speak for astonishment. He acquired exceptional faith and became Zurcungpa's disciple, Matok Jangbar.
Concerning Zurcungpa's disciples, there were: four "pillars"; eight "rafters"; sixteen "beams"; thirty-two "planks"; two "great meditators"; one "great boaster"; two "simple ones"; two "venerable ones,,;777 three "useless men"; and many others.
The four "pillars" were originally students of the spiritual benefactor Khyungpo Trase,778 who were great dialecticians and intellectually very sharp. When Deshek Gyawopa [i. e. Zurcungpa] and the spiritual benefactor Khyungpo met in Nyangru at the invitation of a patron, Khyungpo sent the four, commanding them to go and refute Zurcungpa, who, he said, was a proponent of erroneous doctrines. When the four entered the presence of the master, he happened to be wearing a fur coat turned inside out. At this one of them said, "Which doctrinal tradition has the custom of wearing an inverted hide? "
"The hide is just as it has always been, so it is not inverted. It is your dogma which confounds inside and outside. " .
One of the other students said, "Very well, but let us dISCUSS the doctrine. "
To which Zurcungpa replied, "The essence of the doctrine is inex- pressible and limitless. How can one discuss doctrine? " . .
At that KyotOn asked, "Well then, according to your tradItIOn of the Great Perfection, is not meditation most important? "
"To what object do I adhere? " Zurcungpa asked in response.
"All right then, but is it non-meditation ? "
"Is there anything that distracts me? " was Zurcungpa's reply. Ahd KyotO? , despite brilliance, could make no further response.
Agam, LentOn Sakya Zangpo asked, "According to the tradition of the Secret Magical Net, do you maintain that all appearances are male and female deities? "
"Who would refute", answered Zurcungpa, "the validity of direct perception, to which discrete, inanimate objects appear? "
"Very well, then you do not maintain [that they are deities]? "
"Who can contradict the intention ofthe sutras and tantras concerning the purification of discrete, impure, delusory appearances [which are perceived by] sentient beings? "
Thus, Zurcungpa eclipsed the sharp, verbal arguments of the four students with his truly powerful answers, just as Rahu eclipses [the sun and moon] with his hands; and he grasped them with the claws of his great compassion, which was wholly other-oriented. In this way, the propensities ? f [the four students'] past deeds were aroused, just
as when master Sura became the disciple of Aryadeva. 779 They said, "Alas! It is hard to find such a spiritual benefactor as this, who possesses an unerring realisation of the meaning of the greater vehicle, and is endowed with the brilliance that comes of awareness and liberation. And yet, ifwe go openly to him at this time our master will be displeased. So, let us take a solemn vow to abandon that master of false sophistry by some means next year, and to associate with this mighty lord of
yoga, who is like the point of a sharp sword cutting through the net of sarpsara. "
After swearing this oath they went away. Then, as bees fly to lotus gardens, just so, when the next year came, they spread the wings of their past propensities and positive aspirations and flew, as if to a vast sandalwood forest, to the college of Deshek Gyawo. There, they became renowned as the four "pillars".
But in the meantime, the four had to return to Khyungpo who said "Did you refute Zurcungpa? " "
"We could not refute him," they replied.
At that, the fierce windstorm of jealousy agitated Khyungpo's mind,
and he announced, "Anyone who kills one like Zurcungpa, who har-
bours perverse opinions and leads everyone astray, will certainly attain buddhahood! "
The disciples of Zurcungpa heard about this and went to inform the master. But since a naturally liberated bodhisattva has no thought of anger, Zurcungpa answered them with silence. In the morning, he sat Upon his teaching throne, smiling.
"'What amuses the guru? " asked the disciples.
"As for doctrines", he answered, "this, my secret mantra tradition of the greater vehicle, is it! For it is the tradition of secret mantra that
642 History: The Distant Lineage ojTransmitted Precepts
maintains that buddhahood may be attained by 'liberation' ;780 the dialec- ticians do not think so. Now, even such a great dialectician as Khyungpo Trase has said that anyone who kills one like Zurcungpa will attain buddhahood. So, in his innermost heart, he has turned to my doctrine.
Therefore, I am delighted! "
(Among the four "pillars":] Kyoton Silk-ye of Kungbu was the pillar
of the Mental Class; Yangkeng Lama of Kyonglung was the pillar of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions; Len Sakya Zangpo of Chuwar was the pillar of the Magical Net; and Datik Co-sak of Nakmore was
the pillar of ritual and means for attainment. With the addition of Matok Cangbar they are also known as the five lineage-holders.
The eight "rafters" were: Matokpa, Kyoton Choseng, Lensak Cangcup, Tsak Silkring, Nupti:in Pakma, Opa Sator, Shiiton Dadra, and Tsetrom Cangpel. Sometimes Lala Zicen, Nelba Nyingpo, and Ngamttin Gye1wa are also counted with them. The twO "great
meditators" were Bagom Tikma and Pongom Topa. The one "great boaster" was Ziton Sogyel of Lato.
The twO "venerable ones" were Zhangton Ngase and Khyungpo Trase. I shall not enumerate the
names of the "beams" , "planks" , and other ordinary disciples. The three "useless men" were Gocatsha, Mikcung Wangseng, and Gocung
W ange.
Lama Zurcungpa resolved to remain absorbed in practice for twenty-
four continuous years on Mount Trak Gyawo, and so to pass away in the rainbow body. But because he had to break his retreat for twO reasons, he remained there for thirteen whole years and one part-year,
fourteen in all. At one point he spent a long period without even his attendant coming to serve him. Eventually, when no trace of smoke or noise emerged from his hermitage, the attendant, fearing that some
illness had befallen the master, went to investigate. He found the guru with his mouth and nose covered with cobwebs. Thinking that he had passed away, he cried out loud. The master's concentration was dis-
turbed and he said, "If I had remained in that state I would have
become free from this burdensome skull! Now I shall have to take birth
once more. " It is said that [this was fulfilled when) he was reborn as 781
the Great Translator of Sakya.
It appears that this (account refers to] the indication of success on
the path, whereby the body becomes many particles of the pure essence (i. e. light] alone, (which takes place] when (clinging to] reality is
782 exhausted all at once.
Again, one morning Zurcungpa said, "Prepare lunch. Let's cook
green vegetables this time. "
The attendant had not yet boiled the water when the guru arrived,
cartying fresh vegetables, and said, "1 have circumambulated Uk-
palung. Why have you not boiled the water? "
The attendant exclaimed, "Surely you are jokingl"
urcungpa gave him a present wh· h Z
morning. Then with great . . IC urpoche had given him that
Z The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 643
, conVIction th d
guru has undoubtedly attained· d d' e ant thought, "My
andmind! "Andthushedevelm edPedn WIthrespecttovitalenergy
T h h ope evotIOn eot erreasonthatZurcun ah
. .
the three "useless men" could gp to leave hls. hermitage was that
to Go Khukpa [Lhetse]783 sa . not hUP hold the teachmg: Gocatsha went ymgt at eneededth M h
the background for the path of skilful mea " e ot er tantras as to Sumpa Yebar saying that h d ns. Mlkcung Wangseng went
background for the projection of [tantras] as the
to Pangka Tarcungwa saying that he ne·· a. "Gocung Wange went
for the philosophy of the gr d d eded lOgIC as the background Am oun an path.
" ong them, [the first did not realise h
skIlful means and of II"berat" 785 t at] because the paths of
IOn are both c " d "
leus: this fulfils the definition f M h ontame m the Secret Nuc-
"twisted his eyes backwards inat:eir er (the second] had realtse that] the maw;! ala is [alread r . ckets. because [he did not [of realIty]; and the third dOd y] P o)ected m the natural dIsposition
philosophy, does not get to thle that logic, as a verbal
these three useless men could not ground and path. Therefore,
Zurcungpa had to break hI"S preserve the college; and consequently " retreat.
StIll another reason was that th
arrive at the conclusion of coal e Zurpoche desired to
escence even before he had completed the final
of the Dropuk Temple Z
with t b d " "
ou a. an onmg hIS body,
"constructIOn and consecration
of the guru, who said ;'Y urcungpa arnved to comply with the order It I h , o u must preserve my legacy"
a so appened that when th I" h . cungpahadbecomeextensive, Ig tenedactivity. ofDeshekZur-
i-or wh ere mantn? s m TIbet who
dour of mighty yogins wh g I eh dements, cannot endure the splen- " ' 0 equa t eBuddha [G·" dh" "
dId not make obeisance to him
d sIt m a supenor position, the
translator Go [Khukpa Lhetse
rna eo eIsancetohim " "
lationschoolsshouldneither kecrebe" t
seat. One day, when all had assembl translator Go arrived after Zurc ed for a great festIval m Shang, the row. Then, because the who seated at the head of the clever with words, but enga ed in splntual benefactors who are
mthemannerof[theBuddh ' ]fi ' " a s lVe noble com
keep theIr agreement _ were sta tl d
to prostrate was erased. The be ,and all evidence ofthe promise not
Yt ekcame five-branched vines, cling- an 0 rna eobeIsance Th h
en the festival
Zurcungpa, but were you not t'he fi a Pdromised not to prostrate before He " 1rstto 0so)"
rephed, "When I came beD re h" .
was the transcendent lord G GOl "1m I could not tell whether he
ut, otherwise, I could not c " f " u a, or Just urcungpa. B oncelVe 0 hIm as a man. "
mg to the ground and beg ,
was over, the others asked Go "W ell . . en, w
' reat onous Her k " Z
0 an .
ISdIsciples]-
pamons, who could not
644
History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
which the sap was oozing, which he cut down and sanctified for the construction of the shrine. When he offered the first fruits of the tree to the guru, the local divinity Trhengwa sent a tamarisk pillar, which had been left behind, down the Tsangpo River. But the pillar sank for five days at Ngamongtrhang, and so it did not arrive. Zurcungpa sent two disciples there with this command: "Put this white torma on the rock; throw this red torma into the water; and tell them to bring Lama Zurcungpa's wood immediately! "
When threatened in this way the lord of the waters took fright and sent the wood on at once. Other spirits also obeyed Zurcungpa's com- mand.
As the time approached for Lharje Zurcungpa, the possessor of such magnificent attributes, to enter nirva. Q. a, the disciples implored him to beget a son and heir. Zurcungpa invited the Lord of Secrets, Vajrapa. Q. i, into the womb of his consort by means of the contemplation of the five awakenings. [His heir,] Zur Sakya Senge, was thus clearly endowed with the wonderful marks and signs [of a buddha].
Zurcungpa then delivered [his testament] which is well known as the Eighty Oral Instructions (zhal-gyi gdams-pa brgyad-cu-pa), and which begins:
Be a child of the mountains. Wear ragged clothes.
Eat plain food.
Ignore your enemies.
Leave your fields untilled.
Be decisive about the doctrine. . .
In his sixty-first year, 1074 (wood male tiger), while dwelling at Trak Gyawo, Zurcungpa, accompanied by light and earthquakes, departed for AkaniHha, the Citadel of the Indestructible Array.
Lekden Degii
, . I
A ain because Zurcungpa s maglca power
Swere most vast, he is ould
fam:d having travelled to a? d on the of the a
teach the doctrine three times m a smgle day I? very Drem 1 P and an . . Uk lung a midday seSSlOn at ropu (,
morning m pa 'Similarl because he saw the Qakinls evening seSSlOn at Trak Gyawo. . y'. d built a shrine with
dancing at Lhazermo,. they entered hIS columns. It became nine supports: seven pIllars and two esp h ':Dakinls' Shrine". Images well known as the Khandro Lhakang, t e . De ti the protector
of the Forty-two [Peaceful] Buddhas and of both the
of the transmitted precepts, were Net] were painted
expanded and condensed mat;Qalas. 0 hi ped the image
ZUR DROPUKP A
SAKYA
SENGE
on the walls. During the teaching of 111
[360. 1-367. 3] Zurcungpa's son, the great Lord of Secrets of Dropuk, Zur Sakya Senge, was like the fountain-head of the exegesis of the Secret Nucleus in Tibet.
Zurcungpa had a female disciple named Cosemo Damo Tsuktorcam, in whose womb, he realised, an emanation could be conceived. He asked her brother, Datik Cosak, who was one of the four "pillars", if he could have his sister; and Datik replied, "Just as you command. " Datik placed a vajra and bell in her hands and told her to present them to the guru personally, rather than through an intermediary, and so created a most auspicious coincidence. But because the guru did not marry her, the host of his students became very hostile and proposed
of Lekden with his sleeve and saId, Wd 'you p d Then Zurcungpa
)"A tht theimagebowe Itshea . ,
the Buddha. t a, . J I)" And the lips of the image
ewe s.
trembled.
In the way,. when on the very spot where the
One he built a shnne to Yang k J bar had a diseased tree, frorn Heruka's left foot had rested. Mato ang
asked, "Will you exalt the PreCIOUS
h d a vision of the Great GlorioUS
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 645
646 History: The Distant Lineage ojTransmitted Precepts
_ h . d "I dreamt that a master of the K otonSak-yet ensal , ,
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 647 Just then, a wealthy nun came to offer many loads of barley and a
great quantity of butter. A benefactor also arrived from Dokam to make offerings. Zurcungpa exclaimed, "The butter paste to moisten his palate has arrived. This one has merits! He will even serve the world! " Thus he rejoiced.
When the child was eight months old his father passed away. He was brought up by his mother and maternal uncle, and lived for fifteen years in the upper valley ofDa. Then he approached Len Sakya Zangpo in Chuwar, where he received the tantra of the Secret Magical Net. He also went to Yangkeng in Kyonglung to study the doctrine. In his
789
and his enlightened activity became quite extensive; so he was distracted from his studies. Sub- sequently, he found the opportunity to spend one year with Kyoton in Kongbu, but afterwards his enlightened activity once more increased and he had no chance to travel anywhere. He invited a host of learned
and accomplished gurus to his home and completed his studies. From the four "pillars" he received, completely and perfectly, the doctrines of his father, including: the trilogy of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions) the Magical Net and the Mental Class; and the tantras, esoterics instructions, rites, means for attainment, practical techniques, and empowerments [belonging to that cycle of doctrines]. In particular, he obtained the cycle of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions in detail from his uncle Datik; the Great Perfection according to the tradition of the cycles (rdzogs-chen skor-lugs? 90 from Len Sakya Cangcup; the final lineage of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen brgyud-pa tha-ma) from Lharje Shangnak; et cetera. In short, he resolved his doubts by studying and reflecting under [the guidance of] many gurus. He presented [manu- scripts of] the long, medium and short versions of the Mother [i. e. the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness], and other boun- tiful offerings to all those gurus under whom he studied his own spiritual
tradition, so that he gained their favour.
After practising for a long time at Dropuk in Nyari, he "hammered
home the four nails" ,791 as described in the esoteric instructional tantras with reference to the stages of creation and perfection. After blending inseparably with the body, speech and mind of his meditational deity he acquired, even during his youth, great radiance, and could overcome everyone with his charisma.
On one occasion Dropukpa went with four disciples to meet Phadampa Sangye, who was then living in Tingri. The day he was to arrive Phadampa said, "Today an emanation of Vajrapal)i will arrive. We must welcome him. "
After they had arranged the silks, parasols792 and other paraphernalia, and the day was growing old, five mantrins, a master and his disciples, arrived. Phadampa's disciples said to him, "There is no one else it could be. "
. hh
to baniS er.
y . If [her child] is seen as the master s doctrine sat upon her nng-finger. h' Let her remain. "
heir, it may possibly images of the Buddha and Similarly, other h 1 d 's body. Hence, she was allowed
golden vajras dIssolved mto t e a Y
to ____
Zur Dropukpa Sakya Senge
h h great translator Ngok In 1074 (wood male tiger year), w en tDe ukpa was born. The
. h' . t nthyear rop
[Loden Sherap] was m IS ee d h' omb I had an intimation
. "Wh h' on ofmmeentere erw fi guru SaId, . en t s d' h Therefore he will come to bene It that Vajrapal)I had dIssolve mto / _er. ,
" H d the boy Sakya Senge.
e name th'n and became utterly pos-
the world.
The father renounced abs. olutely ulstgthe other day you were
sessionless. His cons? rt . sald hIm, bave not even provided butter considerate of our son s bIrth. ow, you
Paste to moisten his palate. " . 1· d "If he has ments Zurcungpa rep Ie , h
the necessities will arrive, even .
'11 be no advantage m my . d' h Ifnot t ereWI h
without my provi mg tern. 'h
. "Then esa
t down on the roof of t e .
providing for hIm anyway. , houseJ88
nineteenth year, he had his investiture
648 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
And he said, "Welcome them. "
At the same time, Lharje Dropukpa said [to his own disciples], "I must test whether Phadampa possesses supernormal cognitive powers. " He sent one disciple ahead disguised as himself, while he followed behind like a common servant. Phadampa saw there was a goitre on Dropukpa's throat, and said, "Let the one who has the goitre lead the way. It would be best if master and disciple were not out of order! " Dropukpa became most devoted to him and received Phadampa's nec- tar-like doctrine. And Phadampa inspired Dropukpa saying, "He will become the great glory of [the Buddha's] teaching in general. "
On another occasion, when he was having a painting of VajrapaJ)i designed, Dropukpa told the artist, "Draw it thus! " And he clearly appeared in the form of VajrapaJ)i. For these and many other reasons it was well known that he was the glorious Lord of Secrets, who had come to extend the teaching of secret mantra in this northern land [of Tibet].
Generally speaking, the host of Dropukpa's disciples was countless; but, in particular, he produced a thousand disciples who merited p a r a s o l s . T h e y w e r e g r e a t s p i r i t u a l w h o u p h e l d t h e seminaries and protected the teaching. As a result, his enlightened activity over a long period was inconceivable.
Once, when he was teaching the doctrine in Dropuk, he sat on a backless teaching throne, and students surrounded him on all sides. He appeared to be facing his audience in all directions. Therefore, they were convinced that he was actually the representative of the lord of the maJ)C;iala of the Magical Net of Vajrasattva and he became renowned as an undisputed emanation.
When Dropukpa taught the doctrine there were about five hundred who displayed the texts during the summer and winter sessions, and about three hundred during the autumn and spring. Generally speaking, he had over ten thousand students; so people would often resort to paying a gold coin for a suitable little spot within earshot of his teaching court.
Dropukpa was perfectly endowed with the attributes of knowledge, love and power. He acquired the eye of the doctrine, having thoroughly mastered the meaning of the Glorious Tantra of the Secret Nucleus, which is Definitive with Respect to the Real (Srfguhyagarbhatattvavinis- cayamahatantra, T 832). In consequence, the so-called teaching tradi- tion of the Lord of Secrets, Dropukpa, has continued to be discussed even up to the present day, and is renowned like the sun and moon.
Dropukpa had twelve disciples who gained his favour: four "black ones"; four "teachers"; and four "grandfathers". The four "black ones" [nag-po, so called because their names all contained the element nag, "black"] were Ceton Gyanak, Zurnak Khorlo, Nyangnak Dow. o, and Danak Tsuktor Wangcuk. The four "teachers" [ston-pa, whose names
TheLineageofth Z 17 .
all contained ston "to tea h"] e urL>amzly 649
G·· ' C were NyeC Ch··
onp? , ZhangtOn, and GyatOn The four02 oseng, GyaptOn Dorje
were Tsangpa y . . grandfathers" [mes-po, Un- Upa Choseng. This enumerat" '. uton Horpo, BangtOn Cakyu and o f Z u r " ; b u t i n t h e I S r e n o w n e d a s t h e " U p p e r
a dIfferent lineageJ93 ower [or Khampa] Tradition" there is
When the time came for the
perform his final deed he saI'd t thgrefiat Lord of Secrets, Dropukpa to
'0
or a east offering. I shall also k . ers, nng the supplies
fi fi
e Our"teach ""B' ,
his command and the m : e a collectIOn. " The four "teachers" III Dropuk, where they held a Yb summit of Takla Ridong structed them in many secret u east offering. Dropukpa in-
absence. Now, without relinqu' Ings and said, "Do not mourn my the awareness-holders. my b? dy, I shall go to the level lIneage and the teaching will flourish wIll prosper hereafter. Your
Dropukpa sang a song of inde . . ' .
and singing different hymns h realIty In his glorious voice e
Finally, he altogether. and into the by heart-breakIng grief and wailed with 1 teachers were tormented and called out his name '1 h ament. They wallowed on the
and saId, "You ought not to beh unt{'k e descended again like a bird before, . but you have this. I you good advice
even a lIttle prosperity. "
1 .
ow, my lIneage will not have
Then, in the next year 1135 (
first, Dropukpa passed into the . dmale tiger), which was his sixty- Place ?
