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  • A Prayer to Lord Atiśa and His Spiritual Sons

    Khenpo Ngawang Palzang's devotional prayer to Jowo Je Atiśa and his successors captures the essence of spiritual lineage while embodying profound Buddhist devotion. A Prayer to Lord Atiśa and His Spiritual Sons ན་མོ་རཏྣ་ཏྲ་ཡ་ཡ། Namo ratnatrayaya! རྒྱལ་སྲིད་སྤངས་ནས་དཀའ་བ་བརྒྱ་ཕྲག་གིས། ། བླ་མ་བརྒྱ་དང་ལྔ་བཅུ་རྩ་བདུན་བརྟེན། ། ཤེས་བྱ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཡང་དག་ཐུགས་སུ་ཆུད། ། རྒྱལ་བ་གཉིས་པར་གྱུར་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། Having abandoned your kingdom ,[ 1 ] taking on hundreds of hardships, You took the support of 157 gurus. [ 2 ] Everything there is to know, you perfectly mastered. Second Buddha, [ 3 ] to you I pray! རྒྱལ་བའི་མདུན་ན་རྒྱལ་སྲས་བཟང་པོ་སྐྱོང། ། ཁ་བ་ཅན་དུ་དཔལ་ལྡན་མར་མེ་མཛད། ། དགའ་ལྡན་གནས་སུ་ནམ་མཁའ་དྲི་མ་མེད། ། ཡིད་བཞིན་ནོར་བུ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། In the Victor’s presence, you nurture [ 4 ] your noble spiritual sons. [ 5 ] Glorious Illuminator [ 6 ] of the Land of Snows, Stainless Sky in Tuṣita, [ 7 ] Wish-fulfilling jewel, to you I pray! སྒྲོལ་མས་ལུང་བསྟན་རྒྱལ་བུ་དཀོན་མཆོག་འབངས། །ཐུབ་བསྟན་ཡོངས་སུ་རྫོགས་པའི་མངའ་བདག་མཆོག། ། ལྷ་ཆོས་བདུན་ལྡན་ཇོ་བོ་བཀའ་གདམས་པའི། ། རྒྱལ་བའི་འབྱུང་གནས་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། རྒྱལ་ཚབ་དབང་བསྐུར་ར་སྦྲེང་དཔལ་གྱི་གནས། ། རྒྱུད་པ་བདུན་ལྡན་ཇོ་བོའི་མན་ངག་གིས། ། ཞིང་འདིར་ངུར་སྨིག་འཛིན་པས་མཛེས་པར་བྱས། ། གངས་ཅན་མགོན་པོ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Dromtönpa [ 8 ]] Prince Könchok Bang, [ 9 ] prophesied by Tārā, Sublime master of all the Sages’s teachings,Gyalwe Jungne ,[ 10 ] victorious source of the Jowo Kadampa teachings [ 11 ] Brimming with the sevenfold divinity and doctrine, [ 12 ] to you I pray! Invested as the regent of the glorious site of Reting, You beautified it with the pith instructions of the Jowo steeped in the seven lineages ,[ 13 ] And by dressing this realm in saffron robes. [ 14 ] Protector of the Land of Snows, to you I pray! དད་གུས་ཏིང་འཛིན་སྤྱོད་པའི་གཞུང་དྲུག་ལ། ། ཐོས་བསམ་སྤྱོད་པས་བཤད་སྒྲུབ་ཟུང་དུ་འབྲེལ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་གཞུང་པ་ཞེས་གྲགས་པུ་ཏོ་བ། ། འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Putowa] You united theory and practice by studying, contemplating, and practicing The six books associated with faith, respect, meditation, and conduct. [ 15 ] Renowned as the encyclopedia of Kadam—Putowa, Youthful Mañjuśrī, to you I pray! [148] ཤེས་རབ་ཕ་རོལ་ཕྱིན་པའི་མངོན་རྟོགས་ཀུན། ། བདེན་པ་བཞིའི་ལམ་གྱི་རིམ་པ་ཡི། ། གདམས་པའི་ཉམས་མྱོང་བརྒྱུད་འཛིན་སྤྱན་ལྔ་བ། ། ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ཁྱོད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Chen-ngawa] Holder of the experience lineage in the instructions [ 16 ] For all the manifest realizations of the perfection of wisdom[ 17 ] And the graduated path of the four truths—Chen-ngawa, Great Compassionate One,[ 18 ] to you I pray! མན་ངག་གསང་བ་ཐིག་ལེ་བཅུ་དྲུག་གིས། ། ངོ་མཚར་བརྒྱུད་པ་བདུན་ལྡན་སྲོལ་མཛད་པ། ། རྟེན་འབྲེལ་དབང་འབྱོར་དགེ་བཤེས་ཕུ་ཆུང་བ། ། གསང་བའི་བདག་པོ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Puchungwa [ 19 ]] With the secret oral instruction of the sixteen drops [ 20 ] You blazed a trail [ 21 ] for the wondrous sevenfold lineage. [ 22 ] Master of interdependence, [ 23 ] spiritual friend Puchungwa, Lord of Secrets, [ 24 ] to you I pray! སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ་ལས་རིམ་པར་འཕེལ་བ་ཡི། ། གཞུང་གདམས་མན་ངག་བསྟན་པ་གྲུ་བཞི་ཏུ། ། འགལ་མེད་སྐྱེས་བུ་གསུམ་གྱི་ཉམས་ལེན་གྱི། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པའི་བཤེས་གཉེན་དམ་པ་རྣམས། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་ཐུགས་རྗེས་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། From the Three Brothers ,[ 25 ] the Kadam lineage Of the three scopes, [ 26 ] harmonious practices, Gradually spread on the four bases of treatise, instruction, pith instruction, and exegesis. [ 27 ] Holy spiritual friends of this lineage— I pray to you! Please grace me with your compassion! མི་ཚེ་ལོས་འཛད་ལོ་ཟླ་ཞག་གིས་འཛད། ། སྐད་ཅིག་མི་སྡོད་འཆི་བའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་ལ། ། རྟག་འཛིན་ཚེ་འདིའི་འཁྲི་བ་སྐྱེ་བའི་ཚེ། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་གཉིས། ། བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས་ཤིག་དགེ་བཤེས་སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཐུགས་རྗེས་ཟུངས། ། Life runs out year by year. Years and months slip away day by day. Not a moment lasts. It is the nature of things to die. When I want things to last forever, when I’m tangled in this life, I pray to you, victorious father and son! [ 28 ] Please bless me, Three Brothers, my spiritual friends! [ 29 ] Masters of the Kadam lineage, please hold me in your compassion! གར་འཆི་ངེས་མེད་གར་འཆིའི་རྐྱེན་མ་ངེས། ། སུ་དང་འགྲོགས་ཀྱང་འཆི་བའི་ངང་ཚུལ་ཅན། ། འབྱོར་རྒུད་མཐོ་མན་འཆི་ལས་མ་འདས་ཀྱང། ། འཆི་མེད་ལྷ་བཞིན་གཡེངས་བས་འཁྲུལ་བའི་ཚེ། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་གཉིས། ། བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས་ཤིག་དགེ་བཤེས་སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཐུགས་རྗེས་ཟུངས། ། No one knows where they will die, and how ones dies is not set in stone. No matter who keeps me company, I am marked for death. [ 30 ] [149] Rich or poor, high or low, no one escapes their demise. When I am confused from letting my mind wander like an immortal god, I pray to you, victorious father and son!Please bless me, Three Brothers, my spiritual friends! Masters of the Kadam lineage, please hold me in your compassion! འཆི་བའི་དུས་ན་ཕ་མ་ཕུ་ནུ་དང་། ། གྲོགས་དང་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་དགྲ་གཉེན་རྗེས་མི་འབྲང་། ། ངེས་པར་ཕན་གནོད་དགེ་སྡིག་གཉིས་ལས་མེད། ། དོན་མེད་ཆོས་མིན་བྱ་བའི་བྲེལ་བའི་ཚེ། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་གཉིས། ། བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས་ཤིག་དགེ་བཤེས་སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཐུགས་རྗེས་ཟུངས། ། When death calls, my father, mother, siblings, companions, Enjoyments, enemies, and friends will not come with me. I know that help and harm only stem from my positive and negative actions; So when I am caught up in pointless activities that take me away from Dharma, I pray to you, victorious father and son!Please bless me, Three Brothers, my spiritual friends! Masters of the Kadam lineage, please hold me in your compassion! སྐྱབས་ཀྱི་མཐར་ཐུག་བསླུ་མེད་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ། ། ཡིད་ཆེས་དད་པས་སྐྱབས་སུ་ལེགས་བརྟེན་ནས། ། རྒྱུ་འབྲས་ཕྲ་མོའི་སྤང་བླང་མ་ནོར་བ། ། སྐྱེས་བུ་གསུམ་གྱི་ལམ་གྱི་རིམ་པ་བདུན། ། རྟོགས་ནས་ཚུལ་བཞིན་འཇུག་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། Undeceiving Three Jewels—my ultimate sources of refuge— I take shelter wholeheartedly in their protection, And I do not err in the subtleties of what to do and not do in light of cause and effect. Once I have understood the seven stages of the three scopes’ paths, [ 31 ] Please bless me to apply them in the right way! མང་དུ་ཐོས་པས་ལོག་པའི་དྲི་མ་སེལ། ། རྣམ་དག་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་གཙང་མས་གཞི་བཟུང་ཞིང་། ། བྱམས་དང་སྙིང་རྗེས་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་འབྱོང་ནས། ། ལྟ་སྤྱོད་རྣམ་པར་དག་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། Studying widely, I clear away misguided distortions. With pure moral discipline, I have set my foundation And, with love and compassion, I train in bodhicitta. [150] Now, please, bless my view and conduct to be utterly pure! གཉེན་གྲོགས་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་ལའང་ལྟོས་མེད་པར། ། ཕྱི་ཚེས་གྲབས་ཤོམས་བློ་སྣ་ལིང་གིས་བསྐྱུར། ། [32] ཉམས་ལེན་ཟབ་མོའི་དོན་དང་མི་འབྲལ་བར། ། རྡོ་རྗེ་གསུམ་པོ་མངོན་དུ་འགྱུར་བར་ཤོག། ། Unconcerned with friends and felicities, I have completely given up on future plans. Never parting from the profound meaning of practice, May the three vajra convictions unfold in me![ 33 ] དམ་ཆོས་སྒྲུབ་ལ་འདུན་པ་གཅིག་ཏུ་དྲིལ། ། གྲོགས་དང་ཕུགས་སྟོང་མཐའ་གཉིས་མི་ལྟུང་པར། ། བྱང་ཆུབ་སྒྲུབ་ལ་ཚེ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པ་ཡི། ། གཏད་པ་བཞི་པོ་མཐའ་རུ་འཁྱོར་བར་ཤོག། ། [34] Fused with the will to practice holy Dharma, With no friends or goals, keeping out of the two extremes, [ 35 ] My whole life spent accomplishing enlightenment— May I arrive at the end of the four ambitions! [ 36 ] མི་ཆོས་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཁྱུ་ནས་ལིང་གིས་བུད། ། ཆོས་བརྒྱད་བྲལ་བའི་སྤྲང་པོའི་ངང་ཚུལ་གྱིས། ། བཀའ་གདམས་གོང་མའི་རྗེས་སུ་སྙོགས་པ་ཡི། ། བུད་སྙོགས་ཐོབ་པ་གསུམ་ལ་དབང་འབྱོར་ཤོག། ། Having banished myself from ordinary pursuits, As a derelict divorced from the eight worldly concerns, Joining up with the Kadam forebears, May I master banishment, joining, and achievement! [ 37 ] མདོར་ན་གེགས་ཀྱིས་ལང་བས་ཆུས་རྫོགས་ཞིང། ། [ 38 ] ལྷམ་སྣ་བསྒྱུར་བས་བན་གཞིས་རྫོགས་པ་ཡི། ། བྱ་བྲལ་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཚེ་འདི་བློས་ཐོང་བའི། །དབེན་པའི་གནས་སུ་སྒྲུབ་པ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་ཤོག། ། In short, motivated by hindrances, I am done with plans. Hitting the road, I am done with monks and townspeople. As a king of nothing to be done, letting go of this life, In solitude, may I reach the end of accomplishment! བདག་ཀྱང་འདི་ནས་ཚེ་འཕོས་གྱུར་མ་ཐག། ། དགའ་ལྡན་ཡིད་དགའ་ཆོས་འཛིན་གྲོང་ཁྱེར་དུ། ། རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྗེས་བཟུང་ཞིང། ། རྫོགས་སྨིན་སྦྱང་བ་རྒྱ་མཚོ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་ནས། ། བསྟན་པའི་བདག་པོ་ཁྱེད་བཞིན་འགྱུར་བར་ཤོག། ། As soon as I, like everyone, pass from this life, In the city of the Delightful Dharma-Den Wonderland, [ 39 ] Under the care the Victorious One and his spiritual sons, Having reached the end of the ocean of completion, [151] maturation, and training, [ 40 ] May I become like you, a master of the teachings! COLOPHON དེ་ལྟར་ཇོ་བོ་ཡབ་སྲས་ཀྱི་གསུང་གླེགས་བམ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་གསུང་བ་བཞིན་བཀོད་པའི་དགེ་བས་བླ་མ་རིན་ཆེན་འདིས་ཚེ་འདི་བློས་ཐོང་ཆགས་ཆེན་འཁྲི་བ་ཆོད་རི་དྭགས་རྨས་མ་རྒྱ་ལས་གྲོལ་བ་བཞིན་མི་མེད་དབེན་པའི་གནས་སུ་རང་གཞན་གྱི་དོན་གཉིས་འགྲུབ་པ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་རིན་པོ་ཆེས་རླན་གྱིས་ཞེ་སྡང་གི་མེ་གསོད་པའི་མཐུན་རྐྱེན་དུ་ཇོ་བོ་ཡབ་སྲས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་ཐར་ལ་མོས་པ་ཆོས་སྨྲ་བའི་བཙན་པ་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་རྒྱ་མཚོས་བྲིས་པ་དགེའོ། ། Through the virtue of this arrangement that reflects the words in the precious volumes of the teachings of the Lord and sons, considering the spiritually nourishing conditions of this precious guru who gave up on this life, cut the fetters of attachment, and who, like a wounded deer escaping from a trap, in a remote place with no people, accomplished his own and others’ benefit and extinguished the fire of hostility with the moisture of precious bodhicitta, this was written by the monastic Dharma teacher, Tsultrim Gyatso, in devoted admiration of the stories of the enlightened lives of the Lord and his sons. NOTES [1] Like Buddha Śākyamuni, Atiśa Dīpaṃkara was born into royalty in Bengal, but he renounced his birthright to pursue spiritual practice. For his biography, see Apple, Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , 2019. [2] According to James B. Apple, “Traditional accounts mention that he had twelve root gurus” (Apple Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , chap.1). The five main gurus from Atiśa’s early life are “the brahmin Jitāri, the scholar-monk Bodhibhadra, the contemplative-monk Vidyākokila, and the tantric yogis Avadhūtipa and Rāhulaguptavajra” (Apple Atiśa Dīpamkara , chap.1). His most important teacher was Serlingpa (a.k.a., Dharmakīrtiśrī) who he met on his travels to Sumatra. Upon his return to India, he studied with Ratnākaraśanti and Kamalarakṣita. In addition to those teachers, biographies say that “the great adept Nāropa instructed him in the vision of emptiness, Doṃbipa in yogic discipline, Balinācārya in tantric ritual, Mahājana in miraculous abilities, Bhutakoṭi in the worship of Vajravārāhī, Paramaśva in the special instructions of Nāgārjuna, Prajñābhadra in the awakening mind, [and] Ratnākaraśānti in the meaning of the commentaries” (Apple Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , chap.1). In Apple’s summary of Atiśa’s traditional biographies, it is said that he “studied the extent of the Buddhist knowledge with one hundred fifty-seven spiritual teachers” during a period of intensive training after he took ordination in the Mahāsāṃghika order at the age of twenty-nine in Bodhgayā. [3] Or, “second victorious one [of our age]” ( rgyal ba gnyis pa ). This epithet is also commonly applied to Nāgārjuna, Guru Rinpoche, and Tsongkhapa. [4] “Nurture” ( skyong / skyong ba , pala ). This is possibly a play on the Sanskrit word pala since Atiśa came from a royal lineage in the Pala Empire, whose leaders took the name. [5] In this line, there is a play on the terms rgyal ba ( jina , “victorious one/conqueror”) and rgyal sras ( jinaputra , “son or daughter of the victorious ones”). In Buddhist contexts, these terms usually refer to buddhas and bodhisattvas. Just above, Atiśa was referred to as the “Second Buddha,” and his sons are his main students who are evoked in the verses that follow. Rather than dwell on the “victor” root of each term here, we translated them more loosely for the sake of elegance and syllabic economy. [6] “Illuminator” ( mar me mdzad , dīpaṃkara ) the second part of Atiśa’s name. [7] When Atiśa passed away, he informed his students that he would next take birth as a son of a god in Tuṣita Heaven named Stainless Sky [ dri med nam mhka’ ] (Apple Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , chap. 2). [8] For Dromtönpa’s biography, see Gardner, “Dromton Gyelwa Junge,” 2010. [9] Prince Könchok Bang. One of Dromtönpa’s twenty-two prior birth stories recorded in the Book of Kadam (Jinpa 2013, 655, n. 484). For a brief summary of this story, see Roesler A Palace for Those Who Have Eyes to See , 134). [10] “Victory’s Source” or “victorious source” ( rgyal ba’i ’byung gnas ), an epithet for Dromtönpa. For Dromtönpa’s biography, see Gardner, “Dromton Gyelwa Junge,” 2010. [11] Jowo ( jo bo ) is an honorific title akin to “lord” or “venerable.” It is particularly applied to Atiśa, who is often referred to as Jowo Je (“venerable lord”). Kadampa refers to a member of the Kadam lineage founded by Atiśa. [12] “Sevenfold divinity and doctrine” is a term for the core teachings of the Kadam tradition. These include teachings related to four main divine figures (Tārā, Avalokiteśvara, Buddha Śākyamuni, and the protector Acala) and the three sections or piṭakas of the Buddhist canon (Vinaya, Sūtra, Abhidharma). According to Thupten Jinpa, “A fifteenth-century history of the Kadam order offers four different explanations of the name. First, Kadam may be defined as ‘those for whom the essence of the entire Buddhist scripture is integrated within the path of the three scopes—the spiritual aspirations of initial, intermediate, and advance capacities—and for whom all the scriptures of the Buddha appear as personal instructions.’ A second interpretation of the meaning of Kadam suggests that the tradition is so called ‘because the Kadam founding father, Dromtönpa, chose, in accordance with the sacred instruction of Master Atiśa, the sevenfold divinity and teaching as his principal practice.’ ‘Sevenfold’ refers to the threefold teaching (the baskets of monastic discipline, discourses, and knowledge) and the four divinities (Buddha, Avalokiteśvara, Tārā, and Acala). A third interpretation is that when Master Atiśa was residing at Nyethang his disciples accorded great authority to his sacred words, so they came to be known as ‘Kadampas’—those who hold the sacred words as binding. The final interpretation is that the Kadampas are guided by the three baskets of scripture in their overall Dharma practice and approach Vajrayana teachings and practices circumspectly (Jinpa Wisdom of the Kadam Masters , intro). [13] These seven are most likely the same as the “sevenfold divinity and doctrine” in note thirteen. [14] Saffron robes ( ngur smig , kaṣāya or kāṣāya ), a metonym for the monastic tradition in general. [15] These are: (1) Asaṅga’s Bodhisattva Levels ; (2) Maitreya’s Ornament of Mahāyāna Sūtras ; (3) Śantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and (4) Compendium of Trainings ; (5) Āryaśūra’s Garland of Birth Stories ; and (6) the Collection of Aphorisms , attributed to the historical Buddha. The study of these treatises is complemented with further Indian Buddhist classics like Nāgārjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way , his Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness , and Atiśa’s Entry into the Two Truths and An Instruction on the Middle Way (Jinpa 2008, 9). See also Gardner 2009. [16] According to Thupten Jinpa (2008, 9), “Chengawa’s Kadam lineage of pith instructions [ man ngag, upadeśa ] emphasizes an approach whereby Atiśa’s essential instructions, rather than classical treatises, are the key basis for practice.” For Chengawa’s biography, see Sonam Rinchen “Chennga Tsultrim Bar,” 2020. [17] Perfection of wisdom ( shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa , prajñāparamitā ) carries a rich range of meanings. In his annotations to The Book of Kadam , Thupten Jinpa provides the following gloss: “One of the six perfections that lie at the heart of the practice of the bodhisattva. The term refers also to a specific subdivision of the Mahāyāna scriptures that outline the essential aspects of the meditation on emptiness and their associated paths and resultant states. The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, the Heart Sutra, and the Diamond Cutter are some of the most well-known Perfection of Wisdom scriptures. In The Book of Kadam the term is often used as an epithet for Perfection of Wisdom Mother, a feminine divinity that embodies the perfection of wisdom of a fully awakened buddha” (Jinpa 2008, 673). [18] An epithet of Avalokiteśvara. [ 19] For Puchungwa’s biography, see Gardner 2009c. [20] The sixteen drops are: (1) the drop of the outer inconceivable array; (2) the drop of this World Endured; (3) the drop of the realm of Tibet; (4) the drop of one’s abode and the drawn mandala; (5) the drop of Perfection of Wisdom Mother; (6) the drop of her son, Buddha Śākyamuni; (7) the drop of Great Compassion; (8) the drop of Wisdom Tārā; (9) the drop of her wrathful form; (10) the drop of Acala, their immutable nature; (11) the drop of Atiśa; (12) the drop of Dromtön Gyalwe Jungne; (13) the drop of the vast practice of the bodhisattva; (14) the drop of the profound view of emptiness; (15) the drop of the inspirational practice; (16) the drop of great awakening (Jinpa 2008, 13–14). On these practices, Thupten Jinpa writes, “The idea of the sixteen-drops practice is fairly straightforward. Like a powerful camera lens zooming from the widest possible angle to a progressively smaller focus and, finally, to a tiny point, the meditation becomes increasingly focused, moving from the entire cosmos to this world in particular, to the realm of Tibet, to the practitioner’s own dwelling, and finally culminating within your own body. Within your body, you then visualize inside your heart the Perfection of Wisdom Mother, within whose heart is her son, Buddha Śākyamuni. Within the Buddha’s heart is Great Compassion Avalokiteśvara, within whose heart is Tara, and so on, continuing with wrathful Tārā, Acala, Atiśa, and Dromtönpa. Within Dromtönpa’s heart you then visualize Maitreya surrounded by the masters of the line age of vast practice. In his heart you visualize Nāgārjuna surrounded by the masters of the lineage of profound view; and within his heart you visualize Vajradhara surrounded by the masters of the lineage of inspirational practice. Finally, inside Vajradharas heart, you visualize yourself as a buddha, embodying all three buddha bodies, and within your heart is a white drop the size of a mustard seed. This seed increases in size and turns into a vast radiant jewel container at the center of which your mind is imagined as a yellow drop the size of a pea. This, in turn, increases in size and turns into an ocean of drops the color of refined gold; the ocean is transparent, smooth, resolute, vast, and pervasive, and it reflects all forms. You then rest your mind, without wavering, upon this drop of great awakening, fused, and free of any sense of subject-object duality” (Jinpa 2008, 14). [21] “Blazed a trail” renders srol mdzad pa , the honorific form of the verb srol ’byed pa , which has the sense of initiating a new way within an already established tradition ( srol gtod pa ). According to Thupten Jinpa, “Phuchungwa is most revered as the founder of the ‘Kadam lineage of pith instructions’ and as the inheritor of Atiśa and Dromtönpa’s teachings enshrined in the Book of Kadam . He is also credited with being the source of the mind-training practice known as the ‘heart of dependent origination,’ a text of which can be found in Mind Training: The Great Collection ” (Jinpa 2013, part I.3). [22] Again, this refers to the “sevenfold divinity and doctrine” seen above. [23] As mentioned, Puchungwa specifically transmitted the Kadam pith instructions ( man ngag , upadeśa ) on interdependence/dependent origination (Jinpa 2008, 9; Jinpa 2013, part I.3). [24] An epithet of Vajrapāṇi. [25] The Three Brothers ( sku mched gsum ) are Putowa, Chen-ngawa, and Puchungwa. [26] Three scopes (skyes bu gsum). According to Thupten Jinpa, “The three scopes refer to the practitioners of initial, intermediate, and advanced scopes or capacities. Atiśa’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment presents the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment in terms of meditative practices appropriate to these three differing capacities—the initial, who seeks only a refuge from the fears of rebirth in the lower realms; the intermediate, who principally seeks freedom from cyclic existence; and the advanced, who seeks full awakening for the benefit of all beings” (Jinpa 2008, 676). [27] We do not find this fourfold grouping elsewhere in the literature. It seems that Khenpo Ngaga means that the Kadam teachings continued to develop through the media of (1) treatises ( gzhung )—root texts laying out a key theme); (2) instructions ( gdams pa ) or oral instructions ( gdams ngag ) that have passed down through the lineage for generations; (3) upadeśa , or pith instructions ( man ngag ), which are personal, practical oral instructions from guru to disciple; and (4) exegesis ( bstan pa ), a general term for teachings, but often with the sense of commentarial or exegetical literature, as in the Tibetan Tengyur ( bstan ’gyur ), the translated commentaries of the Indian Mahāyāna masters. The first line of this stanza contains the word rim pa (stage/gradual), which may be a nod to the Lamrim ( lam rim , “Stages of the Path”) literature influenced by the Kadam approach of careful, deliberate contemplation and meditation. Famous examples of this genre include Gampopa’s Ornament of Precious Liberation and Tsongkhapa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path . [28] Atiśa and Dromtönpa [29] Putowa, Chen-ngawa, and Puchungwa. [30] “Marked for death” renders ’chi ba’i ngang tshul can . A more literal translation might say, “I have a disposition to die.” [31] The “seven stages” in this line are difficult to identify with certainty. The term is not used in Atiśa’s original Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Atiśa 1973) or Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (Dowd 2021), nor does it appear in The Book of Kadam (Jinpa 2008) or the teachings compiled in Wisdom of the Kadam Masters (Jinpa 2013). The most fitting reference we find is to a seven-step contemplation discussed in Tsongkhapa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path , vol 2. Tsongkhapa calls this teaching the “seven cause-and-effect personal instructions [ rgyu ’bras man ngag bdun ] in the lineage descended from the Great Elder [Atiśa]” (Tsong-kha-pa 2004, 28). These seven stages are (1) recognizing all beings as your mothers; (2) recollecting their kindness; (3) wishing to repay that kindness; (4) love; (5) compassion; (6) wholehearted resolve; (7) bodhicitta , or awakening mind. (See also Sherburne 1983, 62, n. 2; Sopa 1976, xxii). On Khenpo Ngaga’s deep faith in Tsongkhapa, see Ngawang Palzang 2013, 47, 144, 153, 189, 216. [32] The term for “plans” in this line is usually spelled grabs gshom . Here the spelling is grab shams , which may be a regional variant, but is more likely simply a misspelling, since grabs and gshom pa are both etymologically related to “preparation.” We have amended the Tibetan here to grabs shoms since shoms is at least a valid form of the verb gshom pa . [33] Normally, the three vajras are the three doors of body, speech, and mind infused with wisdom. In the Kadam context, however, they refer to the “three vajra [convictions],” which, along with the “four aims” and the “three ranks or achievements,” make up the Ten Innermost Jewels of the Kadam tradition [ phugs nor bcu ] (See Zopa 2012, 169–188). The Kadam three vajras are (1) the uncaptured vajra ( thegs med rdo rje ): not allowing friends and family to get in the way of one’s single-minded practice; (2) the shameless vajra ( khrel med rdo rje ): not caring what people think or say about you in your pursuit of enlightenment; (3) the wisdom vajra ( ye shes rdo rje ), which Lama Zopa says, “means we resolve never to break the promise we have made to practice pure Dharma by renouncing this life. Completely turning away from all that is essenceless and meaningless, we make the firm, unshakable, indestructible determination to make our life equal with the holy Dharma” (Zopa 2012, 184). [34] Tibetan amended from phugs stong to phug stong . [35] The two extremes are nihilistic and eternalistic views. [36] The four aims, or ambitions, or entrustments ( gtad pa bzhi or gtad sa bzhi ), along with the three vajras and four achievements, make up the ten innermost jewels of the Kadam tradition [ phugs nor bcu ]. The Rangjung Yeshe Translation Group translates these four in the following way: “Aim your mind at the Dharma. Aim your Dharma practice at simple living. Aim at simple living for your entire life. Aim your death at solitude.” ( https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/gtad_pa_bzhi ). See Rigpa Shedra’s entry for “Four Ambitions”; Jinpa 2013, intro; and Zopa 2012, 169–179). [37] Along with the four aims and three vajras, expulsion/banishment, joining, and achievement ( bud snyegs / snyogs thob gsum ) round out the ten innermost jewels of the Kadam tradition. (1) “Expulsion/Banishment” means the achievement of being self-ostracized from ordinary society and the ways of normal people ( mi gral nas bud ); (2) “joining” means joining the company of dogs ( khyi gral snyegs ), which should be respected for their loyalty and perseverance in the face of hardship and abuse; (3) “achieving” means achieving the rank of a divine (viz., enlightened) being ( lha gral thob ). See Zopa 2012, 184–188. [38] Unable to locate this prayer in the 2017 Sichuan edition of Khenpo Ngaga’s Collected Works , we have speculatively amended the Tibetan of this line, which reads geg gi lang bas in the original—a grammatically and semantically problematic phrase: geg is one word for cancer, which is then followed by a genitive particle, then the instrumentalized present tense of the verb lang ba (“to rise/get up”). Taking that literally is extremely awkward and would result in something like “With the arising of [the] cancer,” which would only make sense if the cancer were taken as a metaphor for disillusionment ( skyo shes ) with saṃsāra. We think it is much more likely that there are simply a couple of scribal errors in the line. Thus, geg is amended to gegs (“hindrance”) and genitive gi is amended to instrumental particle kyis according to spelling rules. This gives us a much clearer and predictable meaning, “persuaded/motivated/affected by hindrances.” [39] “Delightful Dharma-Den Wonderland” is a slightly more euphonious alternative to the more literal “Pleasant Doctrine-Bearing Joyous Place” ( dga ldan yid dga’ chos ’dzin ) (Gedun 1989, 143). The term refers to Maitreya’s abode adjoining Tuṣita Heaven. Geshe Gedun Lodö explains, “There is a place called the Joyous [ dga’ ldan ], which is one of the six areas of Desire Realm gods. There is in the Joyous a pure land called the Pleasant Doctrine-Bearing Joyous Place. The Protector Maitreya lives there. The Joyous itself is contained within cyclic existence because it is one of the six areas of dogs of the Desire Realm; it is not a pure land. However, the Pleasant Doctrine-Bearing Joyous Place is a pure land. It is in the Joyous but away from it, just as monasteries are within cities but at a distance from them” (Gedun 1989, 143). [40] Completion, maturation, and training ( rdzogs smin sbyang ) refer to completing the two accumulations, ripening or maturing beings, and training in pure perception (Ngawang Pelzang 2004, 111, 125, 183, 194, 254). Published: September 2023 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Photo credit: Tsadra Foundation BIBLIOGRAPHY SOURCE TEXT Lama Munsel Tsultrim Gyatso (bla ma mun sel tshul khrims rgya mtsho), and Khenpo Ngaga (mkhan po ngag dgaʼ). jo bo yab sras la gsol ʼdebs . In gsung ʼbum ngag dbang dpal bzang , vol. 3, 155–60. BDRC MW22946_493CEB . TIBETAN REFERENCES Atīśa. byang chub lam gyi rim pa . Leh, Ladakh: Thupten Tsering, 1973. BDRC MW1KG506 . ———. byang chub lam gyi sgron ma. In bstan ʼgyur ( sde dge ), edited by zhu chen tshul khrims rin chen, translated by rma lo tsA ba dge baʼi blo gros, vol. 111, 447–83. Delhi: Karmapae Choedhey, Gyalwae Sungrab Partun Khang, 1982–1985. BDRC MW23703_3947 . SECONDARY REFERENCES Apple, James B. Atiśa Dīpaṃkara: Illuminator of the Awakened Mind . Boulder: Shambhala, 2019. Ebook. Atiśa. A Lamp for the Path and Commentary . Translated by Richard Sherburne. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1983. Dowd, Patrick. 2021. “Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment.” Lotsawa House. 2021. https://www.lotsawahouse.org/indian-masters/atisha/lamp-path-enlightenment . Dowman, Keith, trans. Sky Dancer: The Secret Live and Songs of Yeshe Tsogyel . Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1996. Gardner, Alexander. “Puchungwa Zhonnu Gyeltsen.” Treasury of Lives. 2009. http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Puchungwa-Zhonnu-Gyeltsen/6452 . ———. “Dromton Gyelwa Jungne.” Treasury of Lives. 2010. http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Dromton-Gyelwa-Jungne/4267 . ———. “Potowa Rinchen Sel.” Treasury of Lives. 2021. http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Potowa-Rinchen-Sal/5786 . Gampopa. Ornament of Precious Liberation . Translated by Ken Holmes. Boston: Wisdom, 2017. Gedun, Lodö. Calm Abiding and Special Insight: Achieving Spiritual Transformation Through Meditation . Translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1998. Jinpa, Thupten, ed. The Book of Kadam: The Core Texts . 1st ed. The Library of Tibetan Classics, v. 2. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008. ——— . Wisdom of the Kadam Masters . Boston: Wisdom, 2013. Ebook. Ngawang Pelzang, Khenpo. A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher . Translated by Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala, 2004. Ngawang Palzang, Khenpo. Wondrous Dance of Illusion: The Autobiography of Khenpo Ngawang Palzang . Translated by Heidi L. Nevin and Jakob Leschly. Boston: Snow Lion, 2013. Pitkin, Annabella. Renunciation and Longing: The Life of a Twentieth-Century Himalayan Buddhist Saint . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2022. Rangjung Yeshe Translation Group. “gtad pa bzhi.” Rywiki.tsadra.org . https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/gtad_pa_bzhi . Rigpa Shedra. “Four Ambitions.” Rigpawiki.org . https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Four_ambitions . Roesler, Ulrike. “A Palace for Those Who Have Eyes to See: Preliminary Remarks on the Symbolic Geography of Reting (Rwa-Sgreng).” Acta Orientalia Vilnensia 8 , no. 1 (2007): 123–44. Sonam Dorje. “Chennga Tsultrim Bar.” Treasury of Lives. 2020. https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Chennga-Tsultrim-Bar/5820 Sopa, Lhundup and Jeffrey Hopkins. Practice and Theory of Tibetan Buddhism . New York: Grove, 1976. Tsong-kha-pa. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment , 3 vols. Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Boston: Snow Lion, 2014. Zopa, Lama. How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas . Edited by George McDougal. Boston: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2012. Abstract Khenpo Ngawang Palzang's heartfelt prayer dedicated to Lord Atiśa, affectionately referred to as Jowo Je, and his esteemed spiritual successors beautifully embodies the profound devotion inherent in Tibetan Buddhism, all the while imparting a profound understanding of the sacred lineage. BDRC LINK MW22946_ 493CEB DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 06:28 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE None HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS Lodrö Gyatso The First Drukpa Kuchen, Chöying Rölpe Dorje Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Gyaltsen Khenchen Gyaltsen Özer Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Nyima Sönam Palden Kunzang Palden The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje The Fifth Shechen Rabjam, Pema Tegchok Tenpe Gyaltsen Sönam Chöpel The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo Tsultrim Norbu Dorzin Namdröl Mipam Gyatso TRANSLATOR Dr. Joseph McClellan INSTITUTIONS Palyul Monastery Katok Monastery Dzogchen Monastery STUDENTS Tulku Könchok Drakpa Adzom Gyalse Gyurme Dorje Khenpo Nuden Legshe Jorden Lama Drönma Tsering Khenchen Gyaltsen Özer Tsultrim Yönten Gyatso Chatral Sangye Dorje The Fourth Chagtsa, Kunzang Pema Trinle The Fourth Drutob Namkha Gyatso, Zhepe Dorje Khenchen Tsewang Rigzin The Second Dzongsar Khyentse, Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö Botrul Dongak Tenpe Nyima Jampal Drakpa Khen Dampa Pema Ribur Tulku Gyalten Ngawang Gyatso Tromge Arik Tulku Tenpe Nyima Nyagtö Khenpo Gedun Gyatso Lama Munsel Tsultrim Gyatso Gojo Khenchen Karma Tashi Gyara Khenchen Gönpo Orgyen Chemchok Yoru Gyalpo The Third Zhichen Vairo, Pema Gyaltsen Togden Lama Yönten Lakar Togden Polu Khenpo Dorje Khunu Rinpoche Tenzin Gyaltsen Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje Lungtrul Shedrub Tenpe Nyima Khenpo Rinpoche Sönam Döndrub Khen Lodrö Khenpo Pema Samdrub The Second Palyul Chogtrul, Jampal Gyepe Dorje The Second Penor, Rigzin Palchen Dupa AUTHOR Khenpo Ngawang Palzang A Prayer to Lord Atiśa and His Spiritual Sons VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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  • Cloudbanks of Blessings: A Guru Yoga

    A rare guru yoga from Do Khyentse's treasure teachings centered on a historical yoginī, revealing unique insights into female practitioners and tantric transformation in Tibet. Cloudbanks of Blessings: A Guru Yoga ༄༅། ། ཀུན་བཟང་རྒྱལ་བའི་ཡུམ་ལ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ལོཿ དེ་ཡང་ལྷ་ལྕམ་བློ་གསལ་དབང་མོ་ལཿ བརྟེན་པའི་བླ་མའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་འདི་ལྟར་བྱཿ Homage to Samantabhadrā, mother of the victorious ones! What follows is the guru yoga that relies upon the divine consort Losal Wangmo. ཨེ་མ་ཧོ༔ རང་སྣང་རྣམ་དག་སྤྱི་བོའི་ནམ་མཁའ་ལཿ དག་པའི་ཞིང་ཁམས་ངོ་མཚར་བཀོད་མཛེས་དབུསཿ emaho rangnang namdak chiwö namkha la: dakpé zhingkham ngomtsar kö dzé ü Emaho! In my pure perception, in the space above my crown, Is a pure realm, marvelous and beautifully arranged. In its center སེང་ཁྲི་པད་མ་ཉི་ཟླ་བརྩེགས་པའི་སྟེང་ཿ བཀའ་དྲིན་གསུམ་ལྡན་བློ་གསལ་དབང་མོ་དང་༔ sengtri pema nyida tsekpe teng: kadrin sumden losal wangmo dang Upon a lion throne, lotus, sun, and moon, Is she who is endowed with the three kindnesses—Losal Wangmo; རྡོ་རྗེ་ཕག་མོ་དབྱེར་མེད་ཞི་འཛུམ་མདངས༔ སྐུ་མདོག་དཀར་དམར་ཞལ་གཅིག་ཕྱག་གཉིས་པཿ dorje pakmo yerme zhi dzum dang: kundok kar mar zhalchik chak nyi pa Indivisible from Vajravārāhī, she smiles, peaceful and radiant. Her form is white, red [tinged], with one face and two arms. མཉམ་བཞག་སྟེང་ན་བདུད་རྩིའི་བྷནྡྷ་བསྣམསཿ དབུ་སྐྲ་ཐོར་[473]ཚུགས་ལྷག་མའི་སྐུ་རྒྱབ་ཁེབས༔ nyamzhak teng na dütsi bhenda nams: utra tortsuk lhakme kugyab kheb These are [in the mudrā of] meditative equipoise and hold a nectar-filled bhāṇḍha. Her hair is tied in a [473] topknot, with the rest flowing down her back. དར་དཔྱངས་སྟོད་གཡོག་སྨད་དཀྲིས་རུས་རྒྱན་གསོལཿ ཡེ་ཤེས་རང་མདངས་ཐུགས་རྗེས་འོད་ཟེར་འཕྲོསཿ dar chang tö yok metri rügyen söl: yeshe rang dang tukje özer trö Her torso is draped in silk, while she wears a lower garment and ornaments of bone. Her natural radiance of primordial wisdom and compassion radiates as light rays. ཞབས་གཉིས་ཐབས་ཤེས་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་གིས་བཞུགསཿ རྒྱལ་ཀུན་འདུས་པའི་ངོ་བོར་གསལ་བ་ཡིཿ zhabnyi tabshe kyilmo trung gi zhuk: gyal kün düpee ngowor salwa yi She sits with both legs crossed, [symbolizing] method and wisdom. Shining brightly, embodying the very spirit of all united buddhas, སྤྱན་ཟུང་འབྲུ་ཚུགས་བདག་ལ་བརྩེ་བས་གཟིགས༔ སྤྱི་བོར་རིགས་བདག་པདྨ་བཛྲ་དང་ཿ chen zung dru tsuk dak la tsewe zik: chiwor rikdak pema benza dang Her eyes gaze upon me with an intense expression of love. On her crown is the lord of the family, Padmavajra, ཧེ་རུ་ཀ་དཔལ་ཡབ་དང་གཉིས་སུ་མེདཿ འཁོར་དུ་རིག་འཛིན་དཔའ་བོ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་དང་ཿ heruka pal yab dang nyi su me: khor du rigdzin pawo khandro dang Indivisible from the father, glorious Heruka, While the retinue, vidyādharas, heroes, ḍākinīs, ཆོས་སྐྱོང་དམ་ཅན་སྲུང་མ་སྤྲིན་ལྟར་[474]གཏིབསཿ chökyong damchen sungma trin tar tib Dharma protectors, and oath-bound guardians amass [474] like clouds. སྤྱན་འདྲེན་ཅིང་བཞུགས་སུ་གསོལ་བ་ནིཿ Invitation and Request to Remain: རབ་འབྱམས་ཕྱོགས་བཅུའི་ཞིང་ན་བཞུགས་པ་ཡིས༔ རྩ་གསུམ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ལྷ་ཚོགས་གཤེགས་སུ་གསོལཿ rabjam chok chü zhing na zhukpa yi: tsa sum yeshe lhatsok shek su söl Those who dwell in the manifold realms of the ten directions Request the presence of the assemblies of the Three Roots and primordial wisdom deities! བདག་ལ་ཐུགས་རྗེས་བརྩེ་བར་དགོངས་ནས་ཀྱང་ཿ བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབས་ཤིང་དགྱེས་པར་བཞུགས་སུ་གསོལཿ dak la tukje tsewar gong ne kyang: jin gyi lab shing gyepar zhuk su söl Lovingly think of me with compassion, as well as Grant me your inspiration, and please remain here joyfully! བཛྲ་ས་མ་ཡ་ཛཿ་ཏིཥྛ་ལྷནཿ benza samaya dza tishta lhen VAJRA SAMAYA TIṢṬHA LHEN ཡན་ལག་བདུན་པ་ནིཿ The Seven Branches: བླ་མ་ཡུམ་ཆེན་ལྷ་ལྕམ་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུཿ བདག་ལུས་རྡུལ་སྙེད་གྲངས་ལྡན་གུས་ཕྱག་འཚལཿ lama yumchen lhacham trulpe ku: dak lü dül nye drangden gü chak tsal Lama, Great Mother, spiritual consort and emanation, I respectfully prostrate to you with a multitude of my bodies equal to the number of atoms. ཀུན་བཟང་ཕྱི་ནང་གསང་བའི་མཆོད་པ་འབུལཿ ཚེ་རབས་ལས་ཀྱི་སྡིག་ལྟུང་མཐོལ་ལོ་བཤགསཿ kunzang chi nang sangwe chöpa bül: tserab lekyi diktung töl lo shak [Like] Samantabhadra, I present the outer, inner, and secret offerings. I confess my misdeeds and downfalls of every proceeding existence. བླ་མེད་བྱང་ཆུབ་མཆོག་ཏུ་སེམས་བསྐྱེད་དོཿ བདག་གཞན་དགེ་ལ་རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་ངོ་ཿ lamé changchub chok tu semkye do: dakzhen gela jesu yi rang ngo I generate the mind intent upon supreme, unsurpassable enlightenment. I rejoice in my own and others’ virtue. འགྲོ་བའི་དོན་དུ་ཆོས་འཁོར་བསྐོར་བར་བསྐུལཿ མ་ཁྱོད་མྱ་ངན་མི་འདའ་བཞུགས་གསོལ་འདེབསཿ drowe döndu chökhor korwar kül: ma khyö nya ngen mi da zhuk söl deb I request you to turn the wheel of Dharma for the sake of beings. Mother, please do not pass into nirvāṇa, but remain here. མ་གྱུར་སེམས་ཅན་དོན་དུ་དགེ་བར་བསྔོཿ magyur semchen döndu gewar ngo I dedicate this virtue for the benefit of all sentients, who have been my mothers. དེ་ནས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་པ་ནིཿ Supplication: ཀྱེ་མ། བཀའ་དྲིན་འཁོར་མེད་རྗེ་བཙུན་མཿ དང་པོ་འཁོར་བའི་འདམ་ནས་དྲངསཿ kyema kadrin khorme jetsün ma: dangpo khorwe dam ne drang Kyema! Jetsunma, whose kindness is uninterrupted, First, you pull [us] from the mire of saṃsāra. བར་དུ་བསྐྱེད་[475]རྫོགས་ལམ་ལ་བསླབཿ ཐ་མ་སྐྱེ་མེད་ཆོས་སྐུར་སྟོནཿ bardu kye dzok lam la lab: tama kyeme chökur tön Then, you teach the paths of creation [475] and completion. Lastly, you display as the unborn dharmakāya. ཁྱེད་ལས་རེ་ས་གཞན་ན་མེདཿ བཀའ་དྲིན་དྲན་ཞིང་མཆི་མ་འཁྲུགསཿ khye le resa zhen na me: kadrin dren zhing chima truk There is no one else whom we can place our hopes upon! Tears stream as we remember your kindness. སྙིང་ནས་གུས་པས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབསཿ ཐུགས་རྗེས་གཟིགས་ཤིག་རིན་པོ་ཆེཿ nying ne güpe sölwa deb: tukje zik shik rinpo che With sincere devotion, we offer prayers to you! Look upon us compassionately, Precious One! བདག་ཅག་ལས་ངན་མཐུ་བཙན་པསཿ ད་དུང་གཟུང་འཛིན་འཆིང་བས་བཅིང་ཿ dakchak le ngen tu tsen pe: dadung zungdzin chingwe ching The strong force of our negative karma, Keeps us shackled in chains of subject-object fixation. འཁྲི་བ་བཙན་ཐབས་མ་ཆོད་ནཿ བྱིན་རླབས་ཐུགས་ཀྱིས་དྲང་དུ་གསོལཿ triwa tsentab ma chö na: jinlab tuk kyi drang du söl If we cannot assertively break free from these entanglements, Guide us away from them with your compassionate blessings. བདེ་ཆེན་སྐུ་ཡི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར་གྱིསཿ རྣལ་འབྱོར་ལུས་ལ་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབསཿ dechen ku yi kyilkhor gyi: naljor lü la jin gyi lob With the maṇḍala of your great blissful body Bestow blessing upon the bodies of yogis. ཚངས་དབྱངས་གསུང་གི་བདེན་ཚིག་མཐུསཿ སྒྲུབ་པོའི་ངག་ [1] ལ་བྱིན་ནུས་སྩོལཿ tsang yang sung gi dentsik tü: drubpö ngak la jin nü tsöl With the powerful truthful words of your Brahma-like voice, Grant potent blessings to practitioners’ voices! རྣམ་དག་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་གདངསཿ བུ་ཡི་ཡིད་ལ་རྟོགས་པ་བསྐྱེདཿ namdak tuk kyi yeshe dang: bu yi yi la tokpa kye With the radiant primordial wisdom of your completely pure mind, Generate realization in the minds of your children! སྒོ་གསུམ་སྨིན་ཅིང་གྲོལ་བ་དང་ཿ ཐུགས་རྒྱུད་དགོངས་པ་འཕོ་བར་ཤོགཿ go sum min ching drölwa dang: tukgyü gongpa powar shok May the three doors be matured and liberated, and May the wisdom-heart-continuum be transferred! ཨོྃ་ཨཱཿགུ་རུ་ཛྙཱ་ན་ཌཱཀྐི་སིདྡྷི་ཧཱུྃ༔ om ah guru jnana daki siddhi hung OṂ AḤ GURU JÑĀNA ḌĀKINĪ SIDDHI HŪṂ གསོལ་འདེབས་བསྙེན་པ་ཆུ་བོའི་རྒྱུན་བཞིན་འབདཿ མོས་གུས་ལྡན་ལ་བྱིན་རླབས་གློག་ལྟར་མྱུརཿ ཆོས་ཉིད་རང་ཞལ་མཇལ་བར་ཐེ་ཚོམ་མེདཿ ཐུན་མཐར་དབང་བཞི་ལེན་པ་འདི་ལྟར་བྱཿ Exert yourself in the recitations of this supplication like a flowing river. For the devoted, blessings are swift as lightning; there is no doubt that the actual face of dharmatā will be seen. At the end of the session, receive the four empowerments in the following manner. བླ་མའི་སྐུ་[476]ལས་ལྔ་ལྡན་འོད་ཟེར་འཕྲོཿ རང་གི་གནས་ལྔར་ཐིམ་པས་སྒྲིབ་བཞི་དགཿ lamé ku le ngaden özer tro: rang gi ne ngar timpe drib zhi dak Light rays of the five colors radiate from [476] the body of the lama. By dissolving into my five places, the four obscurations are purified— དབང་བཞི་རྫོགས་ཤིང་རྡོ་རྗེ་བཞི་རུ་སྨིནཿ སྐུ་ལྔ་ལྷུན་གྲུབ་འབྲས་བཟང་མངོན་གྱུར་ཞིང་ཿ wang zhi dzok shing dorje zhi ru min: ku nga lhündrub dre zang ngöngyur zhing The four empowerments are complete, and the four vajras are matured. The five kāyas are spontaneously accomplished, and the excellent fruition is actualized. རང་ཉིད་འོད་དམར་ཐིག་ལེ་བྱ་སྒོང་ཙམཿ སྐར་མདའ་ཆད་བཞིན་བླ་མའི་ཐུགས་ཀར་འཕོསཿ rangnyi ö mar tikle ja gong tsam: karda che zhin lamé tukkar pö As red bindu about the size of an egg, I am Ejected, like a shooting star, into the heart of the lama. མོས་གུས་སྟོབས་ཀྱིས་ཐུགས་ཡིད་གཅིག་ཏུ་འདྲེསཿ ཀ་དག་རིག་པ་བླ་མའི་ཞལ་མཐོང་ཤོགཿ mögü tob kyi tuk yi chik tu dre: kadak rigpa lamé zhal tong shok Through the power of devotion, my mind and her wisdom mix as one. May I see the face of the lama, primordially pure awareness! ཐུགས་ཡིད་བསྲེས་མཐར་ལྟ་བའི་ངང་གདངས་སྐྱོང་ལ་བསྔོ་སྨོན་བྱ་བ་ནིཿ After the mixing of minds, while in the radiance of the view, dedicate and make aspirations. དགེ་འདིས་ཕ་མར་གྱུར་པའི་མཁའ་མཉམ་འགྲོཿ འཁོར་བ་མཐའ་མེད་མདག་མེའི་འོབ་ལས་ཐརཿ gé di pamar gyurpe khanyam dro: khorwa tamé dakme ob le tar Through the dedication of this virtue, may beings, equal to space, who have been my parents, Be freed from the fiery pits of endless saṃsāra! སྟོང་ཉིད་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱུད་བརླན་ནསཿ བླ་མ་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་གོ་འཕང་ཐོབ་ཕྱིར་བསྔོཿ tongnyi changchub sem kyi gyü len ne: lama khandrö gopang tob chir ngo May their mental continua be saturated with emptiness and bodhicitta, And may they obtain the level of lamas and ḍākinīs. བདག་སོགས་འདིར་བཟུང་བྱང་ཆུབ་མ་ཐོབ་པརཿ མོས་གུས་འགྱུར་མེད་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གོ་བགོས་ནསཿ dak sok dir zung changchub ma tob par: mögü gyurme dorje go gö ne From now on, until I and others attain enlightenment, May we don the unchanging vajra armor of devotion མཉེས་པ་གསུམ་གྱིས་ཞབས་ཏོག་མཐའ་རུ་ཕྱིནཿ སེམས་ཅན་ཁམས་ཀྱི་འགྲོ་དོན་མ་རྫོགས་པརཿ nyepa sum gyi zhabtok ta ru chin: semchen kham kyi dro dön ma dzok par And perfectly serve [the lama] in the three pleasing ways. Until the benefit of those in the realms of sentient beings is completed, བླ་མའི་ཞབས་ཏོག་ཕྲིན་ལས་ཕོ་ཉ་བཿ བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་[477]ལྡན་བརྩོན་འགྲུས་དཔལ་གྱིས་ཕྱུགཿ lamé zhabtok trinle ponya wa: changchub semden tsöndrü pal gyi chak May we who serve the lama as messengers of enlightened activity, We who have bodhicitta, [477] be enriched by the glory of our diligence ངལ་བ་ཁྱད་བསད་ལུས་སྲོག་འབེན་བཙུགས་ཏེཿ ཡུམ་ཆེན་ཐུགས་དགོངས་ཡོངས་སུ་རྫོགས་པར་ཤོགཿ ngalwa khye se lü sok ben tsuk te: yumchen tukgong yongsu dzokpar shok And, regardless of the hardships, sacrifice both body and life for The intentions of the Great Mother to be completely fulfilled! མ་དག་གཟུང་དང་འཛིན་པའི་སྒྲོགས་གྲོལ་ཅིང་ཿ འཁྲུལ་བ་རང་ཞིག་བག་ཆགས་ཟག་པ་ཟདཿ ma dak zung dang dzinpe drok dröl ching: trülwa rang zhik bakchak zakpa ze May the chains of impure subject-object fixation be undone! May delusion be destroyed, and habitual patterns and defilements be exhausted! ཟག་བཅས་ཕུང་པོ་འོད་སྐུར་དེངས་ནས་ཀྱང་ཿ བླ་མ་ཡུམ་ཆེན་ཐུགས་དང་དབྱེར་མེད་ཤོགཿ zakche pungpo ökur deng ne kyang: lama yumchen tuk dang yerme shok May the defiled aggregates dissipate into a body of light, and also, May there be no separation with the mind of the lama, the Great Mother! COLOPHON གུ་རུའི་གཟུངས་མ་ལྷ་ལྕམ་མནྡ་རཿ སྤྲུལ་བསྒྱུར་འཁྲུལ་མེད་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཌཀྐཱི་མཿ བསྐྱེད་རྫོགས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་གསང་མཛོད་ལཿ དབང་བསྒྱུར་ཡོ་གའི་བློ་གསལ་སྒྲོལ་མ་ལཿ བརྟེན་པའི་བླ་མའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་བྱིན་རླབ་སྤྲིན། ཟོ་དོར་བཞག་བྲིའི་སྲས་མོ་འོད་མཛེས་མསཿ ནན་གྱིས་བསྐུལ་དང་ཉེ་གནས་དད་དམ་ལྡནཿ འོད་གསལ་སྙིང་པོའི་གསོལ་བ་བཏབ་པའི་ངོརཿ གནས་ཆེན་རྒྱ་ [2] མོ་དམུ་རྡོའི་ལྟེ་བ་རུཿ ཁྲག་འཐུང་ལས་ཀྱི་རྡོ་རྗེས་སྤེལ་བའོ། ། དགེའོ། ། At the insistent behest of Özema, daughter of the chief local god of Zhagdra, And the supplication of the faithful attendant Ösal Nyingpo, At the center of the great sacred place of Gyalmo Mudo, Tragtung Lekyi Dorje composed “Cloudbanks of Blessings: A Guru Yoga that Relies Upon Losal Drölma,” master Of the secret treasury of the Dharma and perfector of creation and completion, An undeluded primordial wisdom ḍākinī who is the emanation of The Guru’s divine consort, Mandara. Virtue! མཉམ་བཞག་ཏུ་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་བདེན་པ་ནམ་ཡང་མེད། སྣང་བ་ཙམ་ཡང་མེད་པ་ནམ་མཁའི་དཀྱིལ་ལྟ་བུ། རྗེས་ཐོབ་ཏུ་སྣང་ཙམ་དུ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་མི་བདེན་པ་རྨི་ལམ་ལྟ་བུ་སྒྱུར་མ་ལྟ་བུར་རྟོགས་པར་བྱའོ།། །། During meditative equipoise, all phenomena do not truly exist whatsoever, not even a mere appearance—it is like the center of space. During post-meditation, even though there are mere appearances, one should realize that, like a dream and like an illusion, they do not truly exist. NOTES [1] Recte : ngag ; 2009, 475.3: ngang ; 2015, 244.13: ngag . [2] Recte : rgyal ; 2009, 477.4: rgya ; 2015, 245.17: rgyal . Published: February 2024 NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. 2009. bla maʼi rnal ʼbyor gyi byin rlabs sprin phung . In gter chos mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje , vol. 5, 471–77. Chengdu: Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoche. BDRC MW1PD89990_670726 . Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. 2015. mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rjeʼi gsung ʼbum , vol. 5, 243–246. Chengdu: si khron dus deb tshogs pa si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang . BDRC MW3CN7920 . Abstract Rare indeed it is to discover a guru yoga that relies upon a historical woman. But our research has unveiled a rare gem hidden in Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s treasure collection ( gter chos ) — a guru yoga that transcends conventional narratives, anchored in the reverence of a historical yoginī. Join us in unraveling the secrets of female practitioners in the Tibetan world, where feminine power becomes a gateway to tantric transformation. BDRC LINK MW1PD89990 _670726 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Jigme Lingpa HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century TEACHERS The Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang, Mingyur Namkhe Dorje The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer Gyurme Tsewang Chokdrub Dola Jigme Kalzang Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Mahā Kyilung Monastery Katok Monastery Dzogchen Monastery Tseringjong STUDENTS Losal Drölma Tsewang Rabten Nyala Pema Dudul The Second Dodrubchen, Jigme Puntsok Jungne Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer Ranyak Gyalse Nyoshul Luntok Tenpe Gyaltsen Özer Taye Kalzang Döndrub Pema Sheja Drime Drakpa Kunzang Tobden Wangpo Gyalse Zhenpen Taye Özer Chöying Tobden Dorje Rigpe Raltri AUTHOR Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje Cloudbanks of Blessings: A Guru Yoga VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • The Vajra Verses: A Prayer of the Fierce Inner Heat

    Jigme Lingpa's Longchen Nyingtik instruction on fierce inner heat practice, composed as a supplication to be sung between lineage prayers and practice commencement. The Vajra Verses: A Prayer of the Fierce Inner Heat ཨེ་མ་ཧོ། emaho Emaho! དག་པ་རབ་འབྱམས་དབུ་མའི་གྲོང་ཁྱེར་ན།། dagpa rabjam umé drongkhyer na In the city of the infinite purity of the central channel སེམས་ཀྱི་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཆོས་སྐུའི་ངོ་བོ་ཉིད།། sem kyi dorjé chökü ngowo nyi Is the vajra mind, the essence of the dharmakāya. ཕུང་པོ་ཁམས་དང་སྐྱེ་མཆེད་གདན་གསུམ་ལྷའི།། pungpo kham dang kyeché den sum lhé The aggregates, elements, and sense-fields are the deities of the three seats. རྣམ་རོལ་རྩ་བརྒྱུད་བླ་མར་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས།། namröl tsa gyü lamar sölwa deb I supplicate their manifestations— the root and lineage gurus. རླུང་སེམས་དབྱེར་མེད་ཞུ་བདེའི་ཙཎྜ་ལཱི།། lung sem yermé zhudé tsendali May Caṇḍālī, the melting bliss of inseparable energy and mind, འཁོར་ལོ་ལྔ་ཡི་དཔའ་བོ་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་གྲོང་།། khorlo nga yi pawo khandrö drong Bring delight to the cities of the ḍākinīs and heroes in the five cakras ཚོགས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོའི་འདུ་བས་མཉེས་བྱས་ནས།། tsok kyi khorlö duwé nyé jé né Through the gatherings of the tantric feast, དབང་དང་དགའ་བཞིའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་རོས་གང་ཤོག། wang dang ga zhi yeshé rö gang shok And may I be suffused with the experiences of the empowerments and the primordial wisdom of the four joys. ཁྱད་པར་མཆོག་གི་གཏུམ་མོས་འཁོར་ལོ་བཞིའི།། khyepar chok gi tummö khorlo zhi In particular, may the supreme fierce inner heat, རླུང་སེམས་ལས་རུང་དྷུ་ཏིའི་རྩ་མདུད་རྣམས།། lung sem lé rung dhuti tsa dü nam Make pliable the energy and mind within the four cakras, and as the knots of the central channel ཚོགས་དང་སྦྱོར་མཐོང་སྒོམ་པའི་ལམ་དུ་གྲོལ།། tsok dang jor tong gompé lam du dröl Are released as the paths of accumulation, unification, seeing, and meditation, ས་བཅུའི་རྒྱུན་མཐའ་གཙུག་ཏོར་རྩེར་སྨིན་ཤོག། sa chü gyün ta tsugtor tser min shok May energy and mind ripen at the crown protuberance, the conclusion of the ten stages. ཉོན་མོངས་རླུང་སེམས་འཁོར་བའི་རང་བཞིན་ནི།། nyönmong lung sem khorwé rangzhin ni With the afflictions, energy, and mind— the nature of cyclic existence, རྣམ་གྲོལ་ཞི་བ་ཡེ་ཤེས་རླུང་མཆོག་གིས།། namdröl zhiwa yeshe lung chok gi Brought under control through the supreme, utterly free and peaceful primordial wisdom energy, རང་དབང་གྱུར་ལས་རྩ་ཁམས་ཡི་གེའི་སྤྲིན།། rangwang gyur lé tsa kham yigé trin May the channels and elements be spontaneously perfected འཁོར་ལོ་ཚོགས་ཆེན་ས་ལ་ལྷུན་རྫོགས་ཤོག། khorlo tsok chen sa la lhün dzok shok On the stage of the Great Cloud Mass of Rotating Syllables .[ 1 ] COLOPHON ས་མ་ཡ། རྫོགས་རིམ་ལམ་གྱི་མདོ་ཆིངས་ཀུན།། རྡོ་རྗེའི་ཚིག་རྐང་འདིས་གྲོལ་བྱེད།། རྒྱ་རྒྱ་རྒྱཿ Samaya. These vajra verses disclose all the most essential points related to the path of the completion stage. Seal—Seal—Seal! NOTES [1] This is the thirteenth of the sixteen stages according to the Nyingma system of inner tantras. See: Rigpawiki Sixteen Bhumis . With thanks to Khenpo Sonam Tsewang and Han Kop for their assistance as part of the Longchen Nyingtik Project , 2020. Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: November 2020 Edited: March 2025 Photo Credit BIBLIOGRAPHY Jigme Lingpa Khyentse Özer ('jigs med gling pa mkhyen brtse 'od zer. klong chen snying gi thig las: gtum mo'i gsol 'debs rdo rje'i tshig rkang . In klong chen snying thig gi chos skor , vol. 3, 52. a 'dzom chos sgar par khang: Ngawang Sopa, 1973. BDRC W21024 . Abstract This supplication, filled with instruction for the completion stage practice of fierce inner heat, was written by Jigme Lingpa in his renowned work of The Heart Essence of the Great Expanse, or Longchen Nyingtik. It is traditionally sung after the lineage supplication and before the fierce inner heat practice. BDRC LINK W21024 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:52 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Dzogchen Khyentse Pakchok Khyentse Gönchen Khyentse HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century TEACHERS Longchenpa Drime Özer Ngawang Lobzang Pema Nawang Kunga Legpa Chökyi Dragpa Pema Chogdrub Tenzin Yeshe Lhundrub Pal Gönpa Mön Dzakar Lama Dargye The Third Shechen Rabjam, Paljor Gyatso Drime Lingpa Tugchok Dorje TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Tseringjong Zha Lhakhang Boudhanath Palri Tegchen Ling Samye Chimpu STUDENTS Kunga Rinchen Changchub Dorje Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer Gyurme Tsewang Chogdrub Jigme Losal The First Gurong, Namkhe Jigme Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu Kunga Legpe Jungne Longchen Rölpa Tsal Ngawang Tenzin Dorje Pema Tsogyal Kunga Pende Gyatso Sangye Zangpo The Second Chagtsa Tulku, Kunzang Tenpe Nyinje Jigme Gocha The Third Dzogchen Drubwang, Ngedön Tenzin Zangpo Namkha Tsewang Chogdrub The First Petsaling, Drubtob Namgyal Lhundrub Jigme Kundröl Namgyal The First Khatok Situ, Chökyi Senge The First Chagtsa Tulku, Kunzang Ngedön Wangpo AUTHOR Jigme Lingpa The Vajra Verses: A Prayer of the Fierce Inner Heat VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • Biography Of Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso

    Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, disciple of Jigme Lingpa and founder of Kilung Monastery, spread the Longchen Nyingtik teachings while establishing his own enduring legacy. Biography Of Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, the disciple of Rigzin Jigme Lingpa and the Third Dzogchen [Drubwang, Ngedön Tenzin Zangpo], was born in the Iron Dog year of the twelfth sexagenary cycle, 1730, into a pure noble family of the renowned nomadic clan of Getse. [ 1 ] This was in a sacred place protected by the prominent local guardian Dorje Penchuktsal of the god class, near the slow-flowing Dachu River, which belongs to a region of Derge in Dokham [eastern Tibet]. [ 2 ] His household was headed by his father Nyingbum Gyal, a chieftain of Getse, and his mother Drölma. [ 3 ] Since his early years, he clearly displayed signs of being an excellent person, such as having faith [in Buddhism] and renunciation. When he was young, he left a clear footprint in the stone as if trampling the mud, as he subdued a samaya-breaking evil spirit by manifesting in the form of Guru Drakpo and bounded it by oath. Once, looking to the southwest, he exclaimed: “I’m so delighted that the Yarlung valley will have a good harvest this year!” The elders sitting there inquired, “Why are you happy about the harvest in the Yarlung valley?” He replied: “Because my teacher from previous lives, the omniscient Second Buddha, lives there.” On another occasion, when all the local people were upset about having to pay the yearly tax to the kingdom of Derge, he made the following statement to his father: “You may be afraid of these chieftains now, but when I’m older, I’ll be the Derge king’s preceptor, and there’ll even be a time when I’ll be the object of their worship.” Through such assertions, he displayed mastery over the superknowledges and signs of a siddha. Since the age of eight or nine, he trained in writing and reading, which he had no difficulty comprehending. He also became proficient in the daily liturgical texts of the Dzogchen tradition [held at his monastery]. At the age of thirteen, he went to the mother monastery, Rudam Orgyen Samten Chöling, and was ordained by his spiritual mentor Sengdruk Pema Tashi. [ 4 ] Then, he took the bodhisattva vows of the two oral teachings from Gyalse Zhenpen Taye. [ 5 ] Additionally, learned and accomplished ones of this monastic center, such as the Jewön Pema Kundröl Namgyal, Ngedön Tenzin Zangpo, and so on, bestowed upon him maturating empowerments and liberating instructions of the Oral Transmission and the Revealed Treasures, as well as endless instructions on the traditions of sūtra and mantra. [ 6 ] Because of these trainings, he became known as Getse Lama Sönam Tenzin (“Meritorious Doctrine-Holding Lama of Getse”). [ 7 ] Then, when he was about thirty, as all the interdependent phenomena coincided—the deities’ [520] divine, symbolic prophecies, and Ngedön Tendzin Zangpo’s requests—it became evident that the time was ripe. Therefore, he went to meet his lineage lord of many lives, the Omniscient Lama Jigme Khyentse Özer. [ 8 ] After he was lovingly accepted as a disciple, he was given the name Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, and became one of the heart disciples known as the Four Jigmes. [ 9 ] For a long time, he adhered to the three pleasing ways, [ 10 ] and as a result he received the general oral and treasure teachings of the Early Translations school, as well as tantras, transmissions, and pith instructions of the highest vehicle—the Secret Heart Essence, as if filling a vase to the brim. [ 11 ] He attained the highest view of realization after penetrating the vital points of the practice. At one point the Omniscient Lama [Jigme Lingpa] predicted: “Now, you will go to Dokham. There, you’ll establish a monastic community of the Heart Essence teachings and build a two-story temple on the scale of sixteen pillars, with newly constructed statues and sacred objects. This will benefit the Dharma as well as sentient beings extensively.” He then named the monastery Gönsar Ogmin Rigzin Pelgye Ling. [ 12 ] As for the inner sacred object of worship, he gifted him a chölichima bronze statue of Vajrakumāra in union, [ 13 ] handwritten notes of the Vajrakīlaya tantra tradition, a Kadam “lotus-bouquet” stūpa, a primary blessed kīla wrapped in the high-quality golden silk threads, an elephant tusk, Götsangpa Natsok Rangdröl’s hat, [ 14 ] the Omniscient Lama’s own empowerment hat, and offerings. He also bestowed a ceremonial bell of Chinese darlima bronze, [ 15 ] a silver-brimmed cup made from a yeti’s skull, a handmade life-force chakra of the three protectors Ekajaṭī, Rāhula and Vajrasādhu, a longevity arrow made of white sandalwood, nine wall-sized tangkas based on Ocean of the Eight Heruka's Pronouncement painted in gold on a black field, and a portrait of the Omniscient Lama. [ 16 ] Blended into the paint were countless sacred substances—namely, the nose blood of the Omniscient Lama himself, relics of the paṇḍitas, siddhas, and bodhisattvas from India and Tibet, some of the relics had the power to multiply. Powerful guardians of the Heart Essence such as Ekajaṭī, Rāhula, Vajrasādhu, and others offered their service by personally unrolling the canvas and preparing the painting materials, such as pigment. The way in which the Omniscient Lama himself created the tangka with his own hands is clearly delineated in the autobiography, An Ear of Grain Comprised of Excellent Deeds . [ 17 ] When this excellent master, Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyasto, insistently requested the supreme Omniscient Lama [Jigme Lingpa] to ride out to Domé one time to carry out the earth-taming liturgy and site consecration for the temple, [ 18 ] the Omniscient Lama responded: “I’m now burdened with old age. Even if I were to go, the environment of a distant land wouldn’t suit me. There’s little need to do so and more reasons to say no.” Then the Omniscient Lama assured him: “Indeed in the past, when the Derge king’s escorts came to invite me, I only gave them [in return] a letter and three representations of body, speech, and mind, without having to go there myself. But student, for you and faithful disciples, signs of blessing and virtue will surely manifest, just as if I were going there myself.” Then the lord [521] ventured to his homeland of Dokham on foot. He surveyed the land for an appropriate site for the monastery but could not find anything for certain. Thus, feeling discouraged, he prayed to his teacher concentratedly. At that time, one night in his dream, three lamas in white robes appeared in a luminous manifestation from the western sky. They used their shawls as wings and, flying like birds, they descended upon the eastern-facing side of the vale. There, by hovering in the sky and performing a vajra dance, they left footprints on a boulder that looked like a white tent and chanted the mantra of Vajrakīlaya. The sounds of the environment and beings of that valley, including the creatures, plants, earth, stones, river, and so on, naturally resonated with the chant of Vajrakīlaya. The next day, in a group of five, the master and his disciples departed. In accordance with his dream, they found that the valley and the boulder with footprints were exactly there. The location of the monastery was thus identified. Because the vale possessed the natural sounds of Vajrakīlaya and was an empowered abode of the great, glorious Kīla, it was named Kilung (“Valley of Vajrakīlaya”). [ 19 ] At this sacred site, there was a housewife named Tashi Chözom. [ 20 ] As they went to a yak-hair tent, she held a ladle full of milk to welcome the master and his disciples. Auspicious connections, such as this, naturally coincided. Around the same time, the king of Derge requested a divination from the Omniscient Jigme Lingpa and Do Drubwang Rinpoche to see what kind of rituals should be performed for the prince. They said [to the king]: “Jigme Ngotsar, the disciple of the Omniscient Jigme Lingpa and a wonderful and fearless yogin practicing the Vajrakīlaya teachings, lives in Getse, which is in your jurisdiction. Invite him and command that he must not only perform a Vajrakīlaya drubchen ceremony but also give a longevity empowerment.” Accordingly, an important minister was specifically dispatched to invite him to the capital, where he fulfilled the wishes of the king, the queen, and the prince. The lord received innumerable worship for his service and all the required resources for establishing the new monastery. As soon as everything related to the monastery and the sacred objects it houses was completed, the great siddha Jigme Trinle Özer and the lord Jigme Ngotsar, with a hundred monks, performed a consecration ceremony. [ 21 ] Tens of regional people became permanent monks in the monastery, and the theories and practices of the Victor’s teachings were conducted as time went by. Especially, throughout the summer and winter, the lord continuously turned the wheel of the Dharma of the Great Perfection’s Secret Heart Essence. As a result, countless great disciples, who were sure to be inheritors of the lineage, arose: Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu, Mahāsattva Paltrul Rinpoche, Do Khyentse , and so on. [ 22 ] At that time, Ritrö Rigzin Gyatso, the great treasure revealer Nyima Drakpa’s heart disciple, and the first tulku of Mura in Dza, a great spiritual mentor and emanation of the noble and supreme Avalokiteśvara, resided in the Gödum valley in upper Dza, engaging in the essential practice and establishing a domain where people adopted virtue and abandoned evil deeds. [ 23 ] There he lived as a great being, benefiting whomever he encountered through such deeds as constructing, for the glorious merit of gods and humans, the Mura Dokhar Chenmo (“Mura Maṇi Wall”). [ 24 ] [522] The wall was replete with a great many collections of Dharmas carved onto stone plates—the Kangyur, Tengyur, and an incredible amount of dhāraṇīs and mantras. After being invited to the monastic seat, he was entrusted with the teachings of Gönsar Ogmin Rigzin Pelgye Ling. Having exhibited the completion of his disciples’ training for the time being, the lord [Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso] passed into nirvāṇa around sixty years old. Subsequently, the second [Kilung] reincarnation, Jigdral Chokle Namgyal, born in Troshul of lower Dza, was identified by [the Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang] Mingyur Namkhe Dorje. His incarnation, Jigme Trinle Dorje, was born in the lower part of Getse. Along with Jigme Trinle Dorje’s reincarnation, Shedrub Nyide Özer, this lineage of tulkus sat on the monastic seat in succession. Because of them, the teaching there kept flourishing. [ 25 ] COLOPHON None NOTES [1] ’jigs med ngo mtshar rgya mtsho, b. 1730~1750, BDRC P2881 ; ’jigs med gling pa, 1730–1798, BDRC P314 ; rdzogs chen grub dbang 03 nges don bstan ’dzin bzang po, 1759–1792, BDRC P7404 ; dge rtse, BDRC C2CN10983 [2] rdo rje ’phan phyug rtsal; sde dge, BDRC G1539 [3] dge rtshe’i dpon po snying ’bum rgyal; sgrol ma [4] rdzogs chen ru dam o rgyan bsam gtan chos gling, BDRC G16 ; seng phrug pad+ma bkra shis, b. 1798, BDRC P2914 [5] rgyal sras gzhan phan mtha yas ’od zer, 1800–1855, BDRC P697 [6] rje dbon pad+ma kun grol rnam rgyal, 1706–1773, BDRC P6006 ; The Oral Transmission and Revealed Treasures are two primary transmissions of the Nyingma tradition. [7] dge rtse’i bla ma bsod rnams bstan ’dzin [8] ’jigs med mkhyen brtse’i ’od zer [9] The Four Jigmes were the heart disciples of Jigme Lingpa: (1) Dodrubchen Jigme Trinle Özer, (2) Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu (’jigs med rgyal ba’i myu gu 01, 1765–1842, BDRC P695 ), (3) Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, and (4) Jigme Kundröl Namgyal (’jigs med kun grol rnam rgyal, b. 1719, BDRC P2AG29 ). Alternatively, there is a list concerning the Four Jigmes from Kham in which Jigme Kundröl Namgyal is replaced by Jigme Gocha (rig ’dzin ’jigs med go cha, b. 1763, BDRC P9099 ). See “Four Jikmes.” [10] The disciple pleases his teacher through material offerings, service, and practice. [11] rgyud lung man ngag [tantra, transmission, and pith instruction] can refer to the teachings of Mahāyoga, Anuyoga, and Atiyoga of the Nyingma tradition; gsang pa nying thig [12] dgon gsar ’og min rig ’dzin ’phel rgyas gling [13] Another name for Vajrakīlaya [14] Götsang pa Natsok Rangdröl (rgod tshang pa sna tshogs rang grol, 1605/1608–1677, BDRC P1687 ). [15] A kind of Chinese bronze. [16] dpal chen bka’ ’dus rgya mtsho, BDRC T01JR183 [17] Emending legs bshad yongs ’dus snye ma to legs byas yongs ’du’i snye ma; kun mkhyen ’jigs med gling pa’i rnam thar legs byas yongs ’du’i snye ma, BDRC WA4CZ1260 [18] mdo smad [19] kiHlung dgon, BDRC G3955 [20] bkra shis chos ’dzoms [21] rdo grub chen 01 'jigs med ’phrin las ’od zer, 1745–1821, BDRC P293 [22] rdza dpal sprul o rgyan ’jigs med chos kyi dbang po, 1808–1887, BDRC P270 ; mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje, 1800–1866, BDRC P698 [23] mu ra 01 ri khrod rig ’dzin rgya mtsho, BDRC P2JM457 ; rig ’dzin nyi ma grags pa, 1647–1710, BDRC P425 ; mu ra sprul sku’i skye brgyud, BDRC R8LS13176 ; mgos zlum; rdza stod, BDRC G2328 [24] mu ra’i rdo mkhar chen mo [25] This section contains the continuation of the Kilung incarnational line that began with the First Kilung Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso. Those listed in the text are as follows: the Second Kilung Jigdral Chogle Namgyal (kiHlung 02 ’jigs bral phyogs las rnam rgyal, 1836–1886) born in Troshul (khro shul) and recognized by the Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang Mingyur Namkhe Dorje (rdzogs chen grub dbang 04 mi ’gyur nam mkha’i rdo rje, 1793–1870, BDRC P1710 ); the Third Kilung Jigme Trinle Dorje, also known as Jigme Pema Dorje (kiHlung 03 ’jigs med phrin las rdo rje, 1887–1929); and the Fourth Kilung Shedrub Nyide Özer (kiHlung 04 bshad sgrub nyi zla’i ’od zer, 1931–1965). See “Kilung Incarnation Line.” BIBLIOGRAPHY bstan ’dzin lung rtogs nyi ma. dge rtse’i bla ma ’jigs med ngo mtshar rgya mtsho (22). In snga ’gyur rdzogs chen chos ’byung chen mo, 519–22. pe cin: krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2004. BDRC W27401 . “Four Jikmes.” Rigpa Shedra Wiki. January 5, 2020. https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Four_Jikmes . “Kilung Incarnation Line.” Rigpa Shedra Wiki. February 12, 2020. https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Kilung_Incarnation_Line . Abstract Holder of the Longchen Nyingtik, disciple of Jigme Lingpa, and founder of Kilung Monastery, Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, aka Getse Lama Sönam Tenzin, helped establish and promulgate the teachings of his masters. Come take a glimpse into the enlightened life of this master by reading his concise biography, penned by Tenzin Lungtok Nyima. BDRC LINK W27401 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Getse Lama HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century 19th Century TEACHERS Jigme Lingpa Third Dzogchen Drubwang, Ngedön Tenzin Zangpo The Third Shechen Rabjam, Paljor Gyatso Bala Tashi Gyatso The First Dobrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer Sengdruk Pema Tash i Gyalse Zhenpen Taye Özer Jewön Pema Kundröl Namgyal TRANSLATOR Shengnan Dong INSTITUTIONS Katok Monastery Dzogchen Monastery Palyul Monastery Samye Chimpu Kilung Monastery STUDENTS The Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang, Mingyur Namkhe Dorje Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo Orgyen Chechok Palgyi Dorje Gyalse Zhenpen Taye Özer Orgyen Drodul Lingpa Jigme Trinle Dorje Shedrub Nyide Özer Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu Dola Jigme Kalzang The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo AUTHOR Tenzin Lungtok Nyima Biography Of Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • A Song on the Merits of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong

    Milarepa's poetic ode to Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong exalts nature itself as the source of this retreat site's blessing power, departing from traditional focus on Buddhist masters. A Song on the Merits of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong དེ་ནས་གྲོ་ཐང་གི་ཡོན་བདག ། རྗེ་བཙུན་གྱི་ཞལ་ལྟར་བྱུང་བ་རྣམས་ན་རེ། གནས་འདི་ལ་ཡོན་ཏན་ཅི་གདའ་ཞུ་བའི་ལན་དུ་མགུར་འདི་གསུངས་སོ།། Then, the patrons from Drotang received an audience with the Jetsun [ 1 ] and inquired, “What are the merits of this sacred place?” In response, he sang this meditative song: བླ་མ་རྗེ་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། la ma jé la sölwa dep Precious lord guru, to you I supplicate! གནས་འདིའི་ཡོན་ཏན་ཤེས་མི་ཤེས། ། གནས་འདིའི་ཡོན་ཏན་མི་ཤེས་ན། ། né di yön ten shé mi shé: né di yön ten mi shé na Do you know the merits of this sacred place? If you do not know this hallowed place’s merits, དབེན་གནས་རྐྱང་ཕན་ནམ་མཁའི་རྫོང་། ། ནམ་མཁའི་རྫོང་གི་ཕོ་བྲང་ན། ། wen né kyang pen nam khé dzong: nam khé dzong gi po drang na this is the hermitage of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong. At the palace of Namkhe Dzong, སྟེང་ན་ལྷོ་སྤྲིན་སྨུག་པོ་འཐིབས། ། འོག་ན་གཙང་ཆབ་སྔོན་མོ་འབབ། ། teng na lho trin muk po tip: ok na tsang chap ngön mo bap above amass dark, warm southern clouds while below clean blue waters flow. རྒྱབ་ན་བྲག་དམར་ནམ་མཁའི་དབྱིངས། ། མདུན་ན་སྤང་པོ་མེ་ཏོག་བཀྲ། ། gyap na drak mar nam khé ying: dün na pang po mé tok tra Behind red rocks lie beneath the vast expanse of sky; in front the meadows are awash with flowers. ཟུར་ན་གཅན་གཟན་ངར་སྐད་འདོན། ། ལོགས་ལ་བྱ་རྒྱལ་རྒོད་པོ་ལྡིང་། ། zur na chen zen ngar ké dön: lok la ja gyel gö po ding On one side, wild beasts recite their roars, while on the other, vultures, king of birds, soar. མཁའ་ལ་སྦྲང་ཆར་ཟིམ་བུ་འབབ། ། རྒྱུན་དུ་བུང་བས་གླུ་དབྱངས་ལེན། ། kha la drang char zim bu bap: gyün du bungwé lu yang len: A fine, gentle rain falls from the sky. Continuously bees buzz their melodious songs. ཤཱ་རྐྱང་མ་བུ་རྩེ་བྲོ་བརྡུང་། ། སྤྲ་དང་སྤྲེའུ་ཡང་རྩལ་སྦྱོང་། ། sha kyang ma bu tsé dro dung: dra dang dreu yang tsel jong: Wild kyangs, [ 2 ] mares and foals, dance and frolic, and monkeys, big and small, act as acrobats. ལྕོ་ག་མ་བུ་འགྱུར་སྐད་མང་། ། ལྷ་བྱ་གོང་མོ་གླུ་དབྱངས་ལེན། ། cho ga ma bu gyur ké mang: lha ja gong mo lu yang len Mother larks and chicks warble a profusion of songs with divine mountain birds singing back in kind. རྫ་ཆབ་བསིལ་མས་སྙན་པ་བརྗོད། ། དུས་ཀྱི་སྐད་རིགས་ཉམས་ཀྱི་གྲོགས། ། dza chap sil mé nyen pa jö: dü kyi ké rik nyam kyi drok The cool mountain stream musically murmurs. Such language of the seasons is an aid to meditation! གནས་འདིའི་ཡོན་ཏན་བསམ་མི་ཁྱབ། ། ཉམས་དགའ་གླུ་རུ་བླངས་པ་ཡིན། ། né di yön ten sam mi khyap: nyam ga lu ru lang pa yin I sang this joyful song and offered advice describing the merits of this sacred place, which are utterly inconceivable. གདམས་ངག་ཁ་རུ་བཏོན་པ་ཡིན། ། འདིར་ཚོགས་ཡོན་བདག་ཕོ་མོ་རྣམས། ། dam ngak kha ru tön pa yin: dir tsok yön dak po mo nam All you assembled here, patrons, ladies and gentlemen, please follow in my footsteps and behave as I have— མི་ང་ཕྱིར་འབྲོངས་ལ་ང་བཞིན་མཛོད། ། ལས་སྡིག་པ་སྤོངས་ལ་དགེ་བ་སྒྲུབས།། ཅེས་གསུངས་པས། ། mi nga chir drong la nga zhin dzö: lé dik pa pong la gewa drup abandon all misdeeds and accomplish virtue! COLOPHON None NOTES [1] An honourific Tibetan term meaning “venerable lord,” reserved exclusively for great masters. Milarepa is among the most ubiquitous holders of the term in Tibetan literature. [2] The kyang ( Equus kiang ) is a species of wild donkey native to the Tibetan plateau and is one source of inspiration for the mythical unicorn. This meditative or spiritual song ( mgur ) was composed by Milarepa (1040–1123), Tibet’s most famous yogi and poet. Tibetan literature contains a vast corpus of such spiritual songs, particularly Milarepa’s own Kagyu school, which traces the practice of singing spontaneous songs of spiritual experience back to the Indian mahāsiddhas. Known as Dohā in medieval India, this art form was held in common by both Vajrayāna Buddhists and practitioners of Hindu tantra and generally centered on the heightened inner experiences brought about through spiritual practice. What is perhaps most striking about this particular song, and a departure from the conventions of the genre of mgur , is its emphasis on the natural beauty of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong. Tibetan descriptions of sacred places ( gnas ) almost always focus on the miraculous deeds performed on location by great Buddhist masters, who thus imbue the space with blessings and sacred energy. Milarepa, on the other hand, sings entirely about the special qualities of the natural world. With an almost Wordsworthian rhapsody, Mila attributes nature itself, rather than past Buddhist masters, as the wellspring of blessings in Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong. It is the sight of the meadow awash with flowers beneath the vast expanse of sky and the sounds of frolicking wild animals beside the flowing mountain stream that makes the place so favourable for meditative retreat, not the accomplishments of past sages. When, in the final lines of the poem, he exhorts his audience to abandon misdeeds and accomplish virtue, his tone is one of heartfelt invitation rather than didacticism. It is almost as if he is saying, “The world is too much with us”; be done with worldly toil and come meditate with me beside this stream! Photo credit: Himalayan Art Resources Edited: March 2022 BIBLIOGRAPHY Mi la ras pa. Edited by Gtsang smyon he ru ka rus pa'i rgyan can. [n.d.]. Rkyang phan nam mkha' rdzong gi skor . In Mi la ras pa'i mgur 'bum, 65–66. [s.l.]: [s.n.]. BDRC W1KG1252 Abstract This meditative or spiritual song was composed by Milarepa (1040–1123), Tibet’s most famous yogi and poet. With an almost Wordsworthian rhapsody, Mila describes the inconceivable qualities of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong and explains why it is so favorable for meditative retreat. Strikingly, he identifies the natural world itself, rather than past Buddhist masters, as the wellspring of blessings for this holy place. BDRC LINK W1KG1252 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:54 TRADITION Marpa Kagyu INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 11th Century 12th Century TEACHERS Marpa Chökyi Lodro TRANSLATOR Patrick Dowd INSTITUTIONS Sekhar Gutok Kailash Tsāri Drakar Taso STUDENTS Gampopa Sönam Rinchen Rechungpa Dorje Drakpa Ngendzong Repa AUTHOR Milarepa A Song on the Merits of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • A Biography of Chöje Lingpa

    A Biography of Chöje Lingpa by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye, detailing the life of Chöje Lingpa (Rogje Lingpa), a seventeenth- to eighteenth-century Tibetan treasure revealer (tertön) known for discovering and transmitting profound spiritual treasures (terma), including teachings on Guru Padmasambhava, Mahāmudrā, and Dzogchen. A Biography of Chöje Lingpa Thorns between compatriots summoning borderland people. Demonic emanations trampling over the earth. These signs appeared that it must not stay put; it must be extracted— The hidden hoard in Yumbu Lagang. Thus comes the one called “Orgyen Rogje Lingpa.” Tertön Rogje Lingpa, also called Chöje Lingpa and Önje Lingpa in some accounts, additionally referred to himself as Dagpo Chöje Lingpa. [1] He was the twelfth treasure-revealing incarnation of Gyalse Lhaje, [469] born in Lukhar Dong, Dagpo, as the son of Dorje Dragpa, the fifteenth descendant of the unbroken familial lineage starting from Lhaje Nyichung, the younger brother of Je Da Ö Zhönu. [2] He was commonly known as Chöje Dzamling Dorje and Dewe Dorje. While Je Zangpo Dorje asserted that he was the reincarnation of Zhabdrung Rinchen Dorje, [3] Zhamar Yeshe Nyingpo recognized him as the reincarnation of Chimé Wangpo, the emanation from Rechungpuk, and gave him the name of Dawe Wangpo Tenpe Salje. [4] At the age of six, Rogje Lingpa went to the monastic residence [of his former incarnation]. He then received novitiate ordination from the elder Jamyang Dragpa and full ordination from Gaden Trichen Lobzang Dargye. [5] He was thus given the name of Ngagi Wangpo Lobzang Chöying Palzangpo. [6] He became a great kalyāṇamitra who trained and mastered many texts of the sūtras and tantras from India and Tibet, amongst other things. As his predecessors had worn their hair in locks, he too had locks along with his monastic garb, and so he became known as Gelong Ralpachen (“Monk with Locks”). As such, in his early life, he carefully conducted himself as well through pure conduct and the monastic code. Later following the extraction of his profound treasures and toward the end of his life, he took Dechen Trinle Tsomo, the direct reincarnation of the female practitioner Orgyen Butri, as his mudrā (spiritual consort). Although a wonderful thing occurred when Drukpa Rinpoche’s reincarnation was born to them, his life was not long. [470] In any case, until he was twenty-five, he lived at Rechungpuk in Yarlung, which was the residence of the siddha Tsangyön the Great. [7] From Jangchub Lingpa Gongma Yönten Gyatso, Geshe Dönden Zhab, and others, he received all the empowerments, transmissions, pith instructions, and practices of their tradition. [8] Through extensive study and contemplation of the teachings of the sūtras and tantras, as well as the fields of knowledge, he reached the far shore of learning. As a result of his sustained mind training and practice at that abode, he exhibited the way of complete realization. Even though he never met Gyalwang Yeshe Dorje in person, by the power of this master’s transmitted blessings, he directly perceived the fundamental nature of Mahāmudrā. [9] From Rigdzin Tagsham Dorje, he received empowerment and complete entrustment of his various profound treasures, through which he came to master the realization of Dzogchen. Thus, he considered these two his root gurus. Specifically concerning how Rogje Lingpa received the transmission of the profound treasures, not only did the famous Tagmo Tertön Önse Khyuntok provide him with prophecies and treasure inventories, but when he traveled to the Mön region, the signs were evident. [10] As a result, he retrieved the Sādhana of the Guru’s Four Kāyas and inventories of such locations as Yumbu Lagang and Songtsen’s Bangso Marpo, as well as a treasure inventory of Ushangdo. [11] Following these, he extracted various profound treasures from Yumbu Lagang Bangpo Marpo. However, he did not endeavor greatly to organize them but rather sealed most of them as treasure. [471] Further, while considering that the time had come to benefit beings through the profound treasures, at age twenty-five, he handed over his monastic seat to the tulku (“emanation”) while he took up the conduct of a complete renunciant and set off for such places as the glorious Tsāriṭa, where he endeavored in the practice of his spiritual commitments. All the while, the inventories and prophecies became even clearer to him, and he retrieved the Combined Sādhana of the Immortal Three Roots , some marvelous water of longevity, and other items from the Zagme Jatsön Pugpa (“Cave of Immaculate Rainbows”). [12] Subsequently, he retrieved various treasures including Yangdak Heruka and Vajrakīla from the poisonous lake of Kharak Gogu (“Nine-Headed Karak”); the Heart Jewel of the Profound Path that Accomplishes the Guru from Chagö Shong (“Vulture Basin”) in Puwo; the Guru Vidyādhara from a lake in Makung Valley; the cycles of the Great Compassionate One, Essence of the Earth and Red Jambhala from Dongchu Temple; as well as Drolö , The Fierce Lion’s Roar , Black Kāli , and so forth. [13] He established most of these teachings, and the majority of their transmission lineages continue until today, like his cycles of pure visions and his Ruby Garland of Sādhanas , along with his collected works—even I ( Jamgön Kongtrul ) received them. [14] At Metok Letang in the land of Kongpo, he engaged in the approach and accomplishment of his spiritual practice for three years and also brought extensive benefit to beings and a flourishing of enlightened activity. His main Dharma heirs and disciples were Gyalwang Jangchub Dorje, Zhamar Palchen Chökyi Döndrub, Tre’o Chökyi Wangpo, Drigung Könchok Trinle Zangpo, Dagpo Zhabdrung Tulku Lhundrub Ngedön Wangpo, [472] Druk Tamche Kheynpa Pagsam Wangpo, and others. [15] There were also many others, like the great lamas Tsubri Drubchen, Lhowa Drubchen, and his single closest heart-son Ratön Tobden Dorje. [16] He also appeared to have a few other Dharma connections with Rigdzin Pema Trinle, Minling Gyalse Pema Gyurme Gyatso, and others. [17] Lastly, during the Jungar invasion, he traveled to and reached the heart of the hidden land of Pemakö, as he intended to open that place of power. Not long after, in the second month of his forty-fourth year, he departed for the pure realm of Lotus Light. It is common knowledge that his emanations include Jigten Wangchuk, who was born in the Gachak ruling family in Kongpo, and various others in secret forms who continue to appear up to the present. Extensive life stories of this lord can be seen in detail in the lord’s prevalent writing, in sections of his guidebooks, in the historical life story of Gampopa Zangpo Dorje, and in other places. [18] What are here are only kernels [of his life]. COLOPHON NOTES [1] gter ston rog rje gling pa, chos rje gling pa, dbon rje gling pa, dwags po chos rje gling pa, chos rje ’dzam gling rdo rje, bde ba’i rdo rje (1682–1720/1725). BDRC P671 . Chöje Lingpa was an important Kagyu teacher who was also connected to the Nyingma tradition by being a main disciple of Tagsham Nuden Dorje (stag sham nus ldan rdo rje, 1655–1708) and a treasure revealer. [2] Gyalse Lhaje (rgyal sras lha rje), also known as Gyalse Lharje Chogdrub Gyalpo (rgyal sras lha rje mchog grub rgyal po) was the second son of Mutik Tsenpo (mu tig btsan po, 798~815, BDRC P8LS13667 ), the son of Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde brtsan, 742–800, BDRC P7787 ). dwags po klu mkhar gdong ( rdzong ?). This was constructed Lukhar Dzong was constructed in the sixteenth century below Dagla Gampo Monastery (dwags lha sgam po, BDRC G197 ). See See Ehrhard, The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po , 60, n. 6. Dorje Dragpa (rdo rje gras pa, 1652–1698) was the son of Orgyen Rigdzin Dorje (o rgyan rig ’dzin rdo rje) and a disciple of the Third Gampopa, Zangpo Dorje (sgam po pa 03 bzang po rdo rje, 1636–1700). See Ehrhard, The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po , 60. lha rje snyi chung. Chöje Lingpa was of the Nyiwa (snyi ba, rnyi ba) familial line of Dagla Gampo (dwags la sgam po). See Jamgön Kongtrul, The Life of Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo , 268, n. 48 and Ehrhard, The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po , 60, n. 6. Gampopa Sönam Rinchen (sgam po pa bsod nams rin chen, 1079–1153). [3] The Third Gampopa, Zangpo Dorje. It would appear that Zhabdrung Rinchen Dorje is Chöje Lingpa’s grandfather, Orgyen Rigdzin Dorje. [4] The Seventh Zhamarpa, Yeshe Nyingpo (zhwa dmar pa 07 ye shes snying po, 1631–1694, BDRC P1386 ). Chimé Wangpo (’chi med dbang po) was the resident teacher at Rechengpuk (ras chung phug, BDRC G2832 ). Rechungpuk was the hermitage of Rechungpa (ras chung rdo rje grags pa, 1085–1161, BDRC P4278 ) and the location where Tsangnyön Heruka (gtsang smyon he ru ka rus pa'i rgyan can, 1452–1507, BDRC P442 ) composed the biography and songs of Milarepa (rje btsun mi la ras pa, 1040–1123, BDRC P1853 ). zla ba’i dbang po bstan pa’i gsal byed. [5] Jamyang Dragpa (dge slong ’jam dbyangs grags pa) was a personal attendant of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (ta la’i bla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617–1682, BDRC P37 ). Ehrhard documents that this occurred in Lhasa. See Ehrhard, The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po , 62. dga’ ldan khri pa 49 blo bzang dar rgyas, 1662–1723, BDRC P2758 . Ehrhard writes his name as Tri Rinpoche Tsultrim Dargye (khri rin po che tsul khrims dar rgyas) and states that this occurred at Maldro Dagpo (mal gro dag po). See Ehrhard, The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po , 67. [6] ngag gi bang po blo bzang chos dbyings dpal bzang po. Ehrhard documents his name as Ngagi Wangchuk Lobzang Chöying Palzang (ngag gi dbang phyug blo bzang chos dbyings dpal bzang). See Ehrhard, The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po , 67. [7] gtsang smyon he ru ka, 1452–1507, BDRC P442 . [8] byang chub gling pa gong ma yon tan rgya mtsho, d. 1693. [9] karma pa 11 ye shes rdo rje, 1675/1676–1702, BDRC P943 . [10] stag mo gter ston dbon/dpon gsas khyung thog. He was an emanation of Vairocana and claimed to be an incarnation of the earlier treasure revealer Pönse Khyungtok. See Jamgön Kongtrul, The Life of Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo , 326, n. 441. [11] yum bu bla mkhar, BDRC G4459 . Bangso Marpo (bang so dmar po) is the tomb of Songtsen Gampo (chos rgyal srong btsan sgam po), BDRC P8067 . [12] See: https://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Bde_gshegs_rtsa_gsum_%27chi_med_dril_sgrub . [13] Kharak Gogu (kha rag dgo dgu) appears to be a land of demons (bdud yul), while Kharak may be the name of a nine-headed yakṣa ( srin po ). Please do contact us if you have any further information. thugs rje chen po sa yi snying po yid bzhin nor bu , see: https://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Thugs_rje_chen_po_sa_yi_snying_po_yid_bzhin_nor_bu . gnod sbyin dzam+b+ha la dmar po’i chos skor , see: https://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Gnod_sbyin_dzam%2Bb%2Bha_la_dmar_po%27i_chos_skor . Dongchu Temple is in Powo/Puwo; see Ehrhard, “The Role of ‘Treasure Discoverers,’ ” 5. Guru Dragpo Dorje Drolö, bdud ’dul ma hA gu ru drag po rdo rje gro lod , See: https://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Bdud_%27dul_ma_hA_gu_ru_drag_po_rdo_rje_gro_lod . gtum po seng sgrog , see: https://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Gtum_po_seng_sgrog . bla ma drag po yum bka’ khros ma nag mo , see: https://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Bla_ma_drag_po_yum_bka%27_khros_ma_nag_mo . [14] sgrub thabs pad+ma rA ga’i phreng ba . [15] zhwa dmar dpal chen chos kyi don grub (zhwa dmar 08 dpal chen chos kyi don grub, 1695–1732, BDRC P955 ). ’bri gung che tshang 02 dkon mchog ’phrin las bzang po, 1656–1718, BDRC P416 . dwags po zhabs drung sprul pa’i sku lhun grub nges don dbang po. He was the resident teacher of Rechungpuk. See, Ehrhard, Franz-Karl, The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po , 60. ’brug chen 05 dpag bsam dbang po, 1593–1641, BDRC P877 . Given the available dates on BDRC, this must be a mistake for the Sixth Drugchen Mipam Wangpo (’brug chen 06 mi pham dbang po, 1641–1717, BDRC P940 . [16] kong po rtsub ri grub chen, BDRC P4486 ; rwa ston gter ston stobs ldan rdo rje, BDRC P666 . [17] rdo rje brag rig ’dzin 02 pad+ma ’phrin las, 1641–1717, BDRC P657 ; smin gling khri chen pad+ma ’gyur med rgya mtsho, 1686–1718, BDRC P6 . [18] sgam po pa bzang po rdo rje, 1636–1700, BDRC P898 . Published: March 2025 BIBLIOGRAPHY Source Text Edition: Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye (’jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas). gter ston rog rje gling pa . In zab mo’i gter dang gter ston grub thob ji ltar byon pa’i lo rgyus mdor bsdus bkod pa rin chen bai DUr+ya’i phreng ba , vol. 1, 468–472. Shechen Publications, 2007–2016. Secondary Sources: Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye. The Life of Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo . Translated by Matthew Akester. Khyentse Foundation, 2020. Ehrhard, Franz-Karl. “The Role of ‘Treasure Discoverers’ and Their Writings in the Search for Himalayan Sacred Lands”. The Tibet Journal , 19, no. 3 (1994), 3–20. Ehrhard, Franz-Karl. “The Treasure Discoverer from Dwags-po: Two Texts on the Life of Chos-rje gling-pa (1682–1720).” Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no 64 (2022): 57–83. Abstract Written by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye, this text recounts the life of Chöje Lingpa (Rogje Lingpa), a seventeenth- to eighteenth-century Tibetan treasure revealer (tertön) known for discovering and transmitting profound spiritual treasures (terma). Born into a noble lineage in Dagpo, he was recognized as a reincarnation of several esteemed masters and received extensive monastic training before embracing his role as a treasure revealer. He would become a prolific revealer in his own right and was considered the penultimate emanation of Gyalse Lhaje before his rebirth as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. His life was marked by rigorous practice, visionary experiences, and the revelation of numerous esoteric teachings, including cycles related to Guru Padmasambhava, Mahāmudrā, and Dzogchen. Terdzo-KA-006 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma | Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Gyalse Lhaje HISTORICAL PERIOD 17th Century 18th Century TEACHERS The Twelfth Karmapa, Jangchub Dorje Tagsham Nuden Dorje Jamyang Dragpa Gaden Trichen Lobzang Dargye Jangchub Lingpa Gongma Yönten Gyatso Geshe Dönden Zhab Tagmo Tertön Önse Khyuntok TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Rechungpuk STUDENTS The Fifth Gampopa, Orgyen Drodul Lingpa Mengom Tsultrim Zangpo Gyalwang Jangchub Dorje The Eighth Zhamar, Palchen Chökyi Döndrub Tre’o Chökyi Wangpo The Second Drigung Chetsang, Könchok Trinle Zangpo Dagpo Zhabdrung Tulku Lhundrub Ngedön Wangpo The Sixth Drugchen, Mipam Wangpo Tsubri Drubchen Lhowa Drubchen Ratön Tobden Dorje The Second Dorje Drak, Rigdzin Pema Trinle Minling Gyalse Pema Gyurme Gyatso AUTHOR Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye A Biography of Chöje Lingpa VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • Hidden Sacred Land of Pemakö

    Dudjom Lingpa maps Pemakö's sacred geography, revealing its power spots, deity abodes, and purifying landscapes through traditional guidebook wisdom and spiritual insight. Hidden Sacred Land of Pemakö And so, it is said that Ganchentso (Vairocana) [ 1 ] holds a begging bowl brimming with perfumed water, and in the water, a wish-fulfilling tree with five branches grows. The southern branch of the tree is beautiful with blossoming flowers and fruit, and to the northeast, on the anthers of a flower, is the very secret place of Pemakö. [ 2 ] That place is said to be a terrestrial pure land blessed by Śākyamuni Buddha and Padmasambhava. Simply seeing that place has the power to purify the obscurations of a thousand eons. According to prophecy, all thousand buddhas of the fortunate [210] era will go there. The triangular shape of the place symbolizes the spontaneously accomplished three bodies of the Buddha. View it from a distance, it is like a victory banner fixed firmly in the ground, like the abodes of dharmakāya deities. In the four valleys of the four directions, deities of the four classes of tantras manifest in this utterly beautiful, wondrously magnificent pure realm. To the south of that is the lake Kunsang Latso . [ 3 ] Tasting its purifying water has the power to cleanse all karmic obscurations. In the northeast is the spirit lake of Ekajaṭī, dark red like blood, the color of firelight, which accomplishes without hindrance all entrusted actions of enlightened subduing activities. In the east is the meditation cave of Samantabhadra Heruka, [ 4 ] where the experience of samādhi naturally increases. Countless other meditation caves, containing the great Padmasambhava’s precious treasures and sacred substances, offer great blessings. According to Padmasambhava, simply seeing this place purifies the defilements of a thousand eons. To the west of those caves is a mountain known as Riwo Tāla . [ 5 ] Covered with rocks and snow, the mountain is high and sparkling, beautiful to behold, like a warrior in armor and helmet. In that place, the power of bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara’s prayers and aspirations pacifies all eight and sixteen types of fears, and pure clear water possessing the eight qualities flows down along the right side of the most secret valley. Anyone who tastes the lustral white water along the left, [211] which moves like the edge of a blue scarf, will gain longevity, power, and splendor .[ 6 ] The deities of the vajra family live in the east, in the land called “Glorious vajras and endless knots” ( Natsok Dorjepal Bai’u Ling ) [ 7 ] The deities of the jewel family live in the south, in the land called “Jewel whorl of bliss” ( Rinchen Gakhyil Ling ). [ 8 ] The deities of the lotus family live in the west, in the land called “Great blissful ḍākinī land” ( Ḍāki Dechen Ling ). [ 9 ] Wrathful and powerful deities live in the north, in a land that is like an opening sesame pod, called “Very wrathful yakṣa” ( Nöjin Drakngak Rabtrö Ling ). [ 10 ] Next, it is said that in the east there is a cave called “Spirit lake of Vajrasattva” ( Dorsem Latso ), [ 11 ] which is a pacifying vajra cave where Padmasambhava concealed innumerable crafted [ 12 ] treasures. In the south is “Jewel cave” ( Rinchen Puk ), [ 13 ] where the assembly of the eight great Heruka gather, and where Padmasambhava concealed innumerable wish-fulfilling treasures, such as gold and silver. In the west is a lake called “Blissful lotus lake of magnetizing energy” ( Pema Wangdu Dewa Tso ) ,[ 14 ] where Padmasambhava concealed countless treasures of longevity. In the north is “Wrathful meditation cave” ( Draktsal Tutob Ling ), [ 15 ] where Padmasambhava concealed incalculable treasures, and this is where all wrathful activities occur, without exception. The most secret guidebook Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance states: [ 16 ] At the mountain’s pinnacle, Avalokiteśvara, [ 17 ] And all the root and lineage lamas, buddhas, and bodhisattvas Abide like clouds gathered in the sky. At the mountain’s waist, tantric deities gather [212] Like a swirling snow blizzard, Surrounded by heroes, ḍākinīs, And activity protectors, gathered like star clusters in the sky, Impossible for the eyes to look at directly. The sound of compassion, kyu ru ru , roars naturally, And waves of radiant nectar swirl, blazing with five-colored lights. In the upper valleys, where an excellent mist wafts, The medicinal plant codonopsis pilosula grows .[ 18 ] The trees and forest are covered with the domed tent of rainbow light, And all the birds sing harmoniously, proclaiming the sounds of the Dharma. Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance explains further: Those who taste the water and soil of this place Purify obscurations of negative karma and attain the seed of enlightenment. Those who provide pilgrimage guidance and instruction Are messengers of Padmasambhava, who himself said, “these are my followers.” Those who build temples on the narrow cliffs of this region Be they man or woman, good or bad, Are emanations of Padmasambhava. Each mountain pinnacle has a hundred million A MI DHE WA, In the middle of which are a hundred million MAṆI, And all around, VAJRA GURU, Which two hundred million of the former mantras do not equal. [ 19 ] Riwo Tāla is the sublime heart [213] place, The secret and innermost unsurpassable Abode of the light appearance of Avalokiteśvara and Padmasambhava. Offer aspiration prayers, sons of good families, And keep in mind the authentic and fortunate aeon. Be careful not to offend malicious local deity protectors. Those with wrong views will have continuous obstacles, So do not mistake pleasure and suffering. This is the promise of the truthful Padmasambhava. COLOPHON So it said. This hidden treasure text was revealed by the accomplished master Dudjom Lingpa otherwise known as Jedrung Jampa Jungne, in front of the lower slopes of the great snowy mountain, and it was composed like this. [ 20 ] NOTES [1] Khenpo Tsulnam and Orgyan Gyalpo explained that gangs can mtsho is a name for Buddha Vairocana and that the passage follows the cosmological model of Jamgön Kongtrul’s (’jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas, 1813–1899, BDRC P264 ) shes bya kun khyab , although another possible interpretation is “Vairocana in the snowy land of Tibet.” [2] pad+ma bkod [3] kun bzang bla mtsho [4] bde chen klong yangs [5] ri bo tā la [6] Lama Özer suggests that this spelling should be thing kha , meaning a blue scarf, suggesting the effect of a floating scarf when the edge lifts up. [7] sna tshogs rdo rje dpal bai’u gling [8] rin chen dga’ ’khyil gling [9] DAk+ki bde chen gling [10] gnod sbyin drag sngags rab khros gling [11] rdor sems bla mtsho [12] bzo [ 13] rin chen phug [14] pad+ma dbang sdud bde ba mtsho [15] drag rtsal mthu stobs gling [16] This is a selection by Chögyal Ngawang Dargye (chos rgyal ngag dbang dar rgyas, 1736/1740–1807, BDRC P369 ) from the rdzogs chen ma rig mun sel ( BDRC MW24664 ). [17] Avalokiteśvara’s specific form here is the Ocean of Victors ( rgyal ba rgya mtsho ). [18] klu bdud rdo rje [ 19] The meaning of this passage is unclear. [20] bdud ’jom gling pa/ rje drung byams pa ’byung gnas, 1835–1904, BDRC P705 Acknowledgement: I am grateful for the assistance of several Tibetan scholars living in Toronto: Orgyan Gyalpo for the illustrations and first reading of the text, to Tulku Dawa for an invaluable oral commentary that clarified many points of literal and inner meaning, to Acharya Dakpa Gyatso for additional translation help. Thanks also to Ryan Jones and Frances Garrett for editing assistance. The translation is my own and I assume responsibility for all remaining errors. Published: April 2022 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Originally published in Brill's Hidden Lands in Himalayan Myth and History BIBLIOGRAPHY bdud ’joms gling pa. 2009. sbas gnas padma bkod. In gnas yig phyogs bsgrigs rdzogs ldan gsar pa'i ’od snang bzhugs so, edited by ’gyur med rdo rje, Dehra Dun: Ngagyur Nyingma College. 209–213. BDRC W1KG6188 Abstract Dudjom Lingpa presents us with a geomatic and spiritual description of the sacred land of Pemakö, hidden, majestic, and rejuvenating. As he lays out the territorial portrayal, he speaks of the abodes of masters, the dwellings of deities, and the productive power of purification. He then caps this brief work with a quote from the exceedingly secret guidebook of Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance . BDRC LINK W1KG6188 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 06:09 TRADITION Nyingma PREVIOUS & SUBSEQUENT INCARNATIONS Orgyan Dudul Rölpatsal Katokpa Dampa Deshek Dudul Dorje ___________________________ Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Kunzang Nyima HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century TEACHERS The Third Detri, Jamyang Tubten Nyima TRANSLATOR Barbara Hazelton (Lama Rinchen Zangmo ) INSTITUTION Dartsang Kalzang Monastery STUDENTS Pema Drodul Sangngak Lingpa Eta Rādza Sherab Öser Tsewang Rigdzin The Third Katok Situ, Chökyi Gyatso Pema Lungtok Gyatso AUTHOR Dudjom Lingpa Hidden Sacred Land of Pemakö VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • The Ruby Garland: A Genealogy of the Emperor Uhu Wang Genghis Khan

    A unique genealogy of Tibet's Barchung and Ju clans tracing their Genghis Khan lineage, offering rare insights into Mongolian Buddhism during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Ruby Garland: A Genealogy of the Emperor Uhu Wang Genghis Khan Mangalam Shining with a plethora of virtues and good qualities, Endowed with an uninterrupted stream of magnificent activities, A treasury of attainments that fulfils all wishes and desires, Auspiciously protect me through the supreme refuge, the three precious jewels. Displays of the vajra come in various compassionate expressions: Primordial wisdom and radiant intelligence of knowledge and love, Like an ocean of inexhaustible auspicious glory, Oh, glorious Guru, simultaneously bestow all these upon me! By the blessings and power of Manjughosha, During the waning moon whilst atop a mountain The young prince of Brahma descended the stairway of heaven Relying upon the sky cord—a divine lineage. I will briefly pen the source of Genghis Khan’s lineage. Well then, concerning the subject that I will discuss: The great scholar Lang [ 1 ] said, “Human ancestry is derived from the gods, and a stream comes from the snowy mountains.” Accordingly, I will arrange a condensed history of the royal lineage of the Divine Ruler and Manifestation of Manjughosha, Genghis Khan (1162–1227). Additionally, I will present those who have a connection with that history. This includes the royal lineage of the Great Ming (1368–1644) [ 2 ] and the many gurus and spiritual masters born for the benefit of all sentient beings. A long time ago, a young, beautiful, and handsome son of the resplendent gods descended the nine stages of the divine mu cord. [ 3 ] He came to rest upon a mountain peak adjacent to the Five-peaked Mountain in China (Wu Tai Shan). He was (1) Borta Ching, [ 4 ] the son of gods of heaven. His son was (2) Tachi Gen, and his son was (3) Tamcha Ga. [ 5 ] According to the oral tradition of that locale, Tamcha Ga’s son, (4) Chingji Mergen, [ 6 ] has the same basis of emanation as the great teacher Padmasambhava. Even in these times, it is said that Padmasambhava resides in the southwestern [continent], subduing demons. Chingji Mergen’s son was (5) Laudza Bera Ol, and his son was (6) Sikin Dun. [ 7 ] Sikin Dun’s son was (7) Semdza Odzi, and his son was (8) Laju. [ 8 ] His son was (9) Nunmer Gen. [ 9 ] After his death, when the queen called Alankho, or Lenlun Mo'o Ma [ 10 ] was widowed. It was at this time that a ray of light descended either from the sky or the sun and moon, striking her. Bliss enveloped her and she was impregnated. Consequently, she gave birth to a son named (10) Boton Char, or Charmer Gen. [ 11 ] Charmer Gen’s son was (11) Gachi Tei Hou, and his son was (12) Bikhir. [ 12 ] His son was (13) Manto Don, and his son was (14) Gaitu Gen. [ 13 ] Gaitu Gen’s son was (15) Bai Shing, and his son was (16) Khora Togshing. [ 14 ] His son was (17) Dumbi Hai Khen, and his son was (18) Gabu Lagen. [ 15 ] Gabu Lagen’s son was (19) Barten Badur, and his son (20) Yepur Gaba Dur, [ 16 ] the twentieth of the royal genealogy. It was at this point that Emperor Genghis Khan [ 17 ] was born to Yesugei (1134–1171) and his queen Hoelun [ 18 ] in the Water Horse Year (1162). [ 19 ] His actual name was Temunjen, also known as (21) Emperor Taitsu Zhin Uhu, [ 20 ] and he was a great emperor akin to the glorious and meritorious autumn and a manifestation of Manjughosha’s Wheel of Stability. When he turned fifty-seven in the Earth Female Rabbit Year (1219), [ 21 ] he captured the Chinese Emperor Hu Wang's capital, becoming the emperor of the empire of astrological science and the great eastern land of the world—China. Hence, he brought all territories under [the Emperor of China] and most other areas under his domain. He governed the empire for twenty-three years, passing into the heavens at the age of sixty-six (1227). From that time on, China's (Mongolia) political dominion had spread and flourished more than ever. Therefore, fortified castles were built in the borderlands and in each direction to sustain this power. Subsequently, the tradition of the hereditary princes [ 22 ] governing these fortified castles was established. The eldest prince, Jochi Khan (1182–1227), was appointed as the king of Tokmok. [ 23 ] The second prince, Chagatai Khan (1183–1241), was given the rank of prince and was appointed as the ruler of the northern lands, principally Tokar, [ 24 ] belonging to the lower northern area of the Five-Peak Mountain, and all the areas to the north-east. He governed the Yerkhen Fortress [ 25 ] and was the actual ancestor of Kalkha Dondrub Wang, the Ju clan, and the six tribes of the Barchung clan, all of which are known in Tibet. [ 26 ] Chagatai Khan had five princes, of which the eldest, Abo La, [ 27 ] succeeded as regent. The second son, I Mama Huli, became the king of Kha Che (Islamic world) and resided at the Red Soil Fort. [ 28 ] The third son, Atira Maha Mari, became the king of India and resided at the Balasha Fort. [ 29 ] The fourth son, Kongkha Ratolo, became the king of Rom and resided at Domala Fort. [ 30 ] The fifth and youngest son, Temur, became the king of Oru Kho and was said to have resided at Bhuha Fort. [ 31 ] The aforementioned great Emperor Genghis Khan’s third son, Ogedei Khan (1185–1241), or (22) Emperor Taitsung Ingwen Hu, [ 32 ] ruled the empire for thirteen years. His son, Guyuk Khan (1206–1248), also known as (23) Emperor Tingtsung Stiyan Pinghu, [ 33 ] ruled the empire for six months. The fourth son of Genghis Khan was Tongkha Tolo. [ 34 ] His eldest son ruled the empire under the names of Mongke Khan (1209–1259), Emperor Shiyen Tsunghu Bansuhu, and Monggol Gengya. [ 35 ] All the Tibetan areas, including Utsang, Ngari, and upper and lower Do Kham, were gradually subdued by military forces during the [reign of] Prince Godan Khan (1206–1251), [ 36 ] Guyuk Khan, and Mongke Khan. Mongke Khan’s son, (24) Kublai Khan (1215–1294), widely known to Tibetans and Mongols as Sechen Gengyar, [ 37 ] ruled the kingdom for thirty-five years. Under his rule, the sacred doctrine spread and prospered, making significant contributions in service of the Buddhis teachings. He honoured great beings and gurus from the Sakya, Nyingma, and Kagyu orders, living until the age of eighty. Thereafter, the son of Kublai Khan [ 38 ] had already passed away. His name was Prince Bahu Wang, [ 39 ] or the Regent of Jing Gin. His son was Temur, or Emperor Chingtsung Kuwang Shio Uhu (26), [ 40 ] who became the king of Uljoi Tu, or Olja Du (Temur Khan; 1265–1307). [ 41 ] During his reign, he received the Great Unchangeable Precious Royal Seal, made of white jade and engraved with [the title] Kwi Zhiu Yungtang. [ 42 ] He ruled the empire for thirteen years. There were five or six royal generations from the time of Genghis Khan until these emperors. They conquered almost everyone on the planet: from the subjects of Khincha [ 43 ] in the north to all those in the other three directions up to the islands in the sea, including Zhison, Hpusang, and Siyang. [ 44 ] By bringing many of these under their control, their empire was twice the size of both the Han (206 BCE–220 CE) and Tang (618–907) dynasties. The empire was called the Great Yuan, or the Great Hor. [ 45 ] After some time had passed, Emperor Olja Du’s eldest brother’s son, Emperor Utsung Shan Shoihu (27), otherwise known as Emperor Khuluk or Goyuk (Kulug Khan; 1281–1311), [ 46 ] governed the empire for years. His younger brother, Emperor Ayu Parsata Zhin Shiuhu (28), or Emperor Buyantu (Ayubarwada Buyantu Khan; 1285–1320) [ 47 ] ruled for nine years. His son, Emperor Shubho Pala Yingtsung Wenshi Uhu (29), or Emperor Kokon (Gegeen Khan; 1302–1323) [ 48 ] ruled for three years. Up until him, all the previous emperors maintained the tradition of wearing the hats and attire of the Hor. However, it appears that Yingtsung changed them all to Chinese attire. Then Jing Gin’s grandson, Emperor Yisun Temur Jing Wang Titing (30), [ 49 ] ruled for five years. After him, some sources also assert that his eldest son Rakyi Pak, or Asukiba (31), [ 50 ] ruled the government for forty years. However, some sources say that after three months on the throne, Emperor Utsung’s youngest son, Tuktomur, [ 51 ] seized power from him and pretended to give it to his older brother, Emperor Kushala Mingtsung (32). [ 52 ] Although, Emperor Kushala Mingtsung also passed away after approximately eight months [of ruling]. The majority of sources say Kula Gotu, or Kushala Mingtsung, stayed on the throne for one month. In any case, it is also said that in the end, Emperor Temur Wentshung Jayatu (33) [ 53 ] ruled for five years while some other sources say three years. When he was about to die, his final testament was to appoint Mingtsung’s younger son, Rinchen Pel (34), [ 54 ] to sit on the throne. Following his final demands, Rinchen Pel was enthroned, but he died about a month later. At that time, the throne was vacant for six months, with Minister Emtamur Tashi [ 55 ] ruling the empire. The eldest son of Mingtsung, named Emperor Togan Temur Huitsung Zhunhu (35), or Emperor Uha (Toghon Temur; 1320–1370), [ 56 ] ruled for thirty-six years. After that point, he had to abdicate and leave for lower Hor. Concerning the reason for his abdication, he appeared to be a great religious scholar. However, he lacked knowledge in temporal and state matters, causing multiple disagreements and creating countless conflicts leading to an upheaval in the empire. For instance: there were twenty-three great bandit leaders and many less significant leaders who brought bouts of significant suffering to China, Hor, Mongolia, and Tibet. A short while after this, the Great Ming Emperor Taitsung [ 57 ] took the land under his dominion and pacified it, conquering the capital of China (Beijing) and becoming emperor. It is said the Mongol emperors descendent from Genghis Khan until to Togar Temur [ 58 ] occupied the capital of China for one hundred and forty-seven years, nine months, and ten days. After Genghis Khan had ruled over China, Togen Temur was the fifteenth emperor in the royal succession. From his time onwards, they only ruled their own territory, the land of the Hor. Some two hundred and sixty-six years later, the twentieth emperor, Hor Lekden Zhutok, allied with Karma Tenkyong Wangpo, [ 59 ] the regent of Tsang, Tibet. The emperor marched to Tibet in support of the Kagyu doctrine but died on the journey. It is said that this empire [of Northern Yuan] fell apart due to these unsuccessful conditions. In that way, the narrative on the royal lineage of the Great and Divine Ruler Genghis Khan of Hor is complete. Here, I will explain the lineage of the Great Ming emperors, who, like the Hor of the past, were benevolent to us, the heavenly descendants of Genghis Khan, our kings, ministers, and populace, as well as all the monks, principally the state preceptors, [ 60 ] in all possible ways. This includes bestowing appointments and being graciously protective, respectful, and resourceful. It is not easy to find this family lineage's origin, but the first ruler was Emperor Taitsung (Taizu; 1368–1398). [ 61 ] Taitsung was a monk in the Huang Kyou Zi Temple [ 62 ] during Togan Temur’s time. It was a period marked by banditry, an era where gangs robbed and ransacked. After hearing a great bandit leader arrived in the vicinity of the monastery, Taitsung’s friends fled. Finding himself in such a predicament, he thought, “If I run away, then the sacred objects will be ruined—they will set the temple ablaze and other such calamities. Even if I do not flee but stay and fight, I will surely not be able to protect them. Yet, if I do surrender, I fear I might become one of the bandits. What should I do?” Subsequently, he performed a divination in front of a [Buddhist] statue, which indicated that it would be better to surrender, so he waited for the bandit leader. In the process of surrendering, they conversed in Chinese, and the bandits realized that he was extraordinary and unlike others. Therefore, the people raised him up upon their shoulders, and he was given a great and powerful position through which he gradually accrued power. Thereafter, when the bandit leader died, Taitsung took the position as the head leader of the bandits. He continued to grow in prestige from then on, spreading his influence and bringing all his people under his power. After that, in the Male Earth Monkey Year (1368) he even conquered the capital city of the Great Hor. Since the empire’s control did not extend to the north and west, it was weaker than the time of the Hor (Yuan Dynasty). However, it was highly prestigious and not too dissimilar from the time of the Han and Tang dynasties when it came to other matters. The name of the empire was Great Ming. In general, its administration had good connections with Bon, Buddhist, and Vedic [traditions]. It also maintained a priest-patron relationship [ 63 ] with the early translation Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya. In that way, he ruled the kingdom for thirty-three years. His son Kyihun (Emperor Jianwan; 1398–1402), [ 64 ] the second royal successor, ruled for two years. His son Yewang Yung Lochenpo (Yongle Emperor; r. 1402–1424), [ 65 ] the third royal successor, paid excellent service to the Buddhist teachings, ruling the empire for twenty-two years. His son and the fourth successor, Zhinzung, [ 66 ] ruled for four years. His son and the fifth successor, Zonde, [ 67 ] ruled for eight years. His son and the sixth successor, Chi Tung, [ 68 ] ruled for thirteen years. His son and the seventh successor, Kyinta, [ 69 ] ruled for seven years. His son and the eighth successor, Tenshun, [ 70 ] ruled for eight years. Thus, it is said from the first Great Ming Emperor, Taitsung, to the last [emperor], Tenshun, [ 71 ] the Great Ming Emperors occupied the capital of China for ninety-seven human years. Apart from the first Great Ming emperor and the third [emperor called] Yewang, [ 72 ] the majority of the other emperors were too weak. It is said their reigns shortened due to such things as losing control of the eunuchs and corrupted ministers. It is also said that after Emperor Teshun, [ 73 ] there were four people: [Emperor] Utsung, the Bon favouring [Emperor] Zhitsung, the ugly [Emperor] Shontsung, and [Emperor] Krungtsun. [ 74 ] These four caused conflicts to ripen, triggering the loss of the empire to the hands of a bandit leader called Litsi Ching. [ 75 ] In the legendary narratives and writings of our ancestral chieftains, it says: “In the Water Bird Year (1633), the eighth year of the eighth successor the Great Ming Emperor Tenshun’s reign, King Taitsung Bokto conquered the capital city of China with his army. Taitsung Bokto’s actual name was Emperor Zhitsuhu and was also known as Mukton. More recently, Tibetans refer to him as Manju Sokpo Chinhwa. [ 76 ] Subsequently, the Great Ming Emperor Tenshun took control of the four cardinal borderlands of greater China where his royal descendants still reside. It is said that in two hundred years, the royal descendants will return and claim the throne of China.” Homage to Padmakara! Now, I will present the successors [and history] of our ancestors' descendants and the great ministerial state preceptors [ 77 ] connected with them. I have already discussed the succession from Genghis Khan, the Divine Ruler of Manjughosha, up to the twentieth royal descendant in the section of the history of the Hor. The twenty-first royal successor, Emperor Taitsu Zhing Puhu, [ 78 ] controlled the capital city of eastern China. The twenty-second successor is considered his son, the Second Tistsi, the Emperor Chagatai La Chinwang [ 79 ] and ruler of the Yerkhen Fortress. [ 80 ] His younger brother and fifth son of Genghis Khan, Master Sansu Tanzhin, or Dharma Lord Yonten Pel, [ 81 ] was the First Great Ministerial State Preceptor. He was a profoundly and extensively skilled victory banner of scholars and a proponent of the three baskets ( tripitaka) [of the Buddhist teachings]. He was a direct disciple of both Katok Tsangton Dorje Gyeltsen and Jampa Bum. [ 82 ] The twenty-third successor, Awola Jingwang, [ 83 ] lived a long and full life of one-hundred and seven years. His younger brother was the Second State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Yeshe Gyeltsen Pel, who received the victory banner and title of Tungshu Wanda Shai. [ 84 ] The twenty-fourth successor was Hanwang Khola Jing. [ 85 ] His elder brother was the Third State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Gelek Pel, who received the victory banner and the title of Hpozhiku Wanggi Pouda Shai, or the Radiant Sun Rays of the Victor’s Doctrine. [ 86 ] The twenty-fifth successor Tawang Negoye constructed Tau Titur Temple [ 87 ] at the Yerkhen Fortress, which was unrivalled under the sun. The temple was filled to the brim with representational objects of the enlightened body, speech, and mind. His half-brother from a different mother was the Fourth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Jinpa Pel, received the victory banner and title of Wuwan Hpapagi Youda Shi, or the Lineage Holder who Protects the Teachings. [ 88 ] The twenty-sixth successor was Sanwang Tomer. [ 89 ] His elder brother was the Fifth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Gyamtso Pel, who received the victory banner and title of Uwan Hpatou Yin Mioushi Wandai Shai, or the Lineage Holder and Courageous Lord who Disseminates the Doctrine. [ 90 ] The twenty-seventh successor was Yerkhen Dazhi Tawang. [ 91 ] His nephew was the Sixth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Jampa Pel, who received the victory banner and the title of Wuwan Hpatung Su Wanda Shai, or the Realised Lineage Holder. [ 92 ] The twenty-eighth successor was Hputai Wang Ulkebe. [ 93 ] His elder brother was the Seventh State Preceptor, Khyilwa Kunga Pel, who received the victory banner and the title of Tuwan Hputungsi Wanda Shai, or the Lineage Holder of Great Courage. [ 94 ] The twenty-ninth successor was Shrir Nadalai Wang. [ 95 ] His younger brother was the Eighth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Gyeltsen Bum, [ 96 ] who did not receive any titles. The thirtieth successor was Maga Shri Palayon Wang. [ 97 ] His elder brother was the Ninth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Jangchub Pel, who received the victory banner and title of Tuwan Hpu Shuan Ude Shai, or the Compassionate Lineage Holder. [ 98 ] The thirty-first successor was Sanwang Olgo Temu. [ 99 ] His younger brother was the Tenth State Preceptor, Purnye Shri, [ 100 ] who did not receive any titles. The thirty-second successor was Emperor Chinggin Dalai Wang Kunga Dorje, [ 101 ] and he had nine princes. The eldest prince, San Zhita Wangching, [ 102 ] was the successor to his father and controlled the Yerkhen Fortress. It is said that the current Hor Khalka Dondrub Wangchenpo is his descendant. [ 103 ] The second prince under San Zhita Wangching was the Eleventh State Preceptor, Master Zhiwa Pel, the ruler of Huwang Mei Zi'i. He received the victory banner and title of Tunghu Da Shai, or the Dharma Lord of Supreme Intellect. [ 104 ] The other six young princes were individually given golden edicts [ 105 ] and titles of lords of six large districts under the power of [Yerkhen]. These days it is said that the eighth prince Hau Puyan Tako [ 106 ] is the forefather of the Ju clan in Tibet. It later came to pass that he became the ruler of the Mong Ra Fortress. His lineage was called the Thirteen Black Spear Holding Anye Mantra Practitioners. [ 107 ] This name was bestowed since their dharma protector bears a black silk clan flag, which I will talk about in a later section. The ninth and youngest prince was acutely intelligent, exceptionally wise, highly tolerant, a prodigious orator, and a quick thinker. Even the noblest, such as the great ministers, could not compete with him. As he was King Kunga Dorje's favourite son, [ 108 ] the father kept six of the eighteen major districts for himself and gave six to his son. His father praised and bestowed upon him such items as his own imperial golden edict and golden seals from the Mongolian capital of China. The thirty-third successor was Chinggin Sanwang Gaushri Wangchuk Gyeltsen. [ 109 ] It was not known in China, Hor, nor Mongolia; however, the Barchung clan, here in Tibet, was established by him. This prince resided in the district of Ule Yerkhen Dazhi on the border of Sang Hor and Oro. [ 110 ] The thirty-fourth successor was Tiwang Yeten Toktu. [ 111 ] His elder brother was the Twelfth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Drime Pel, who received the victory banner and title of Tungshi Wan Minyi Giyou Yamida Shai, or the secret lord, the scholastic-adept of sutra and mantra. [ 112 ] During this patron-priest [relationship], the great Hor was in distress. Many greater and lesser bandit leaders began to gather, and many bandit hideouts sprang up in the lower part [of Mongolia]. Although an ocean of suffering began to overflow in the upper and lower parts [of Mongolia], we [our ancestors] could barely save our own six districts from becoming subservient to them. The Lord Togen Temur [ 113 ] also fled to the lower lands of Hor. Not long thereafter, the Great Ming Emperor Tai Tsung [ 114 ] settled in China’s capital city, bringing peace to the land. The thirty-fifth successor was the elder prince, Tale Wangtang Tirti Mangga Shri. [ 115 ] His younger brother was the Thirteenth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Taye Pel, who received the victory banner and title of Mintan Tato Yuwan Zhunthunggi Youda Shai, or the Supporter of the Victor’s Teachings—supreme unification of the oral transmission of instructions and the repository of treasure teachings of qualities. [ 116 ] From that time forward, the Great Ming emperors showed more prominent respect to Genghis Khan's royal descendants by bestowing titles, golden seals, hats signifying high rank, et cetera. The thirty-sixth successor was Ila Sikyi Wangpa Chara. [ 117 ] His elder brother was the Fourteenth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Tashi Gawai Pel, who received the victory banner and title of Lintan Date Khaisan Shiotunggi Youda Shai, or the Supporter of the Victor’s Teachings who simultaneously spreads the three trainings of oral transmission of instructions and the repository of treasure teachings of qualities. [ 118 ] During this priest and patron relationship, Chongti Dewa Temple was built in the district of Ule Yerkhen Dazhi Fortress. It was filled with unfathomable sacred objects symbolic of the enlightened body, speech, and mind, as well as a wrathful [statue] of Ashtasahasrikaprajnaparamita . Rapu Dewa Temple was built in the district of Orong. Ayur Dewa Temple was built in the district of Mala Punrar. Siu Pati DewaTemple was built in the district of Daun Tsung. Sesi Soto Dewa Temple was built in the district of Mongra Khar. On Sage Dewa Temple was built in the district of Tewo Rasi. Minyigi Dewa Temple was built in the district of Oshanwa Si. Thus, seven great temples were built in six districts as well as a fortified palace. [ 119 ] The thirty-seventh successor was Elche Wangsan Gaushri, [ 120 ] who lived for eighty-nine years. He provided unrivalled support for the Buddha's precious doctrine in the service of the Great Ming Emperor Yewang, or the Great Yunglo (Emperor Yongle; 1360–1423 CE). [ 121 ] His elder brother was the Fifteen Great State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Lachen Ozer Pelwa. [ 122 ] He received the victory banner and title of Tui Luzi Giyou Tutsun Tungdau Tungton Titan Shi'i Khing Shou Tarleu, [ 123 ] or the elder master who completely and unbiasedly ascertains the doctrine of the victors, the lord of the perfectly pure primordial wisdom of the realisation of the path, and the dharma king and great abbot endowed with immutable life. It is said that out of all the highest tantric gurus, none were more learned or had more excellent qualities than him, as the great scholar and victor Longchenpa (1308–1364) [ 124 ] had already left Tibet. The thirty-eighth successor was Tawang Tolo Gechi.[ 125 ] His younger brother was the Sixteenth State Preceptor, Rana Kotu, and was not bestowed any titles. [ 126 ] The thirty-ninth successor was Tale Wangsiwi Tanata, [ 127 ] who was a great physician. His elder brother was the Seventeenth State Preceptor and the Dharma Lord, Gyeltsen Pel, who received the victory banner and the title of Khaisan Thiokyang Thuwang Datheng Kyemin Tanshi'i, [ 128 ] or the lineage abbot of the oral transmission and treasure teachings of the precious qualities of the Mahayana and of the bodhisattva vows, the one who propagates the three excellent trainings. A younger brother of his, Tale Badur Tarwa Kyab, [ 129 ] lived in a separate household. It was said that he was not a family descendant, as he was an adopted son. The six Barchung groups spread from the descendants of Tale Badur Tarwa Kyab and his elder brother, King Tale Wangsi. [ 130 ] The actual descendants of the physician King Wangsi were the older Penkor, the middle Kyabkor, and the youngest Yagkor. These three were collectively known as the three groups of lords. [ 131 ] As for the descendants of Badur Tarwa, they were the older Jamo, the middle Taglen, and the youngest Gurshul, which made up the six groups. [ 132 ] The fortieth successor was the first prince Sanwang Tashir Ola Pen, [ 133 ] who stayed in the capital. The second prince was called Daben Tsering Kyab. The third prince was Sukini Tolo Yak. [ 134 ] The second and third lived in separate households. The fourth prince was the Eighteenth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Lekpa Pel, who received the victory banner and the title of Hputsung Hunggi Youda Shai, or the lineage protector and the disseminator of the doctrine. [ 135 ] The forty-first successor of the great Genghis Khan was Yewan Tebun Tsita Gaushri. [ 136 ] His younger brother was the Nineteenth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord, Sonam Pel, who received the victory banner and the title Sahpo Kiyopu Manda Shai, [ 137 ] or the perpetually happy one. In this period, changes ensued in the capital of China, and a huge crisis befell the empire due to the activities of the Great Ming Emperor Toshun (Emperor Chongzhen; 1627–1644). [ 138 ] A significant fragmentation occurred, as most people in the empire fled from areas such as the Hor land and the upper and lower parts of Oro, scattering to various places. Most of them escaped to the upper and lower parts of Kokonor. Some people from the Forty Oro Tsoyan group scattered to the sunny and shaded sides of the upper part of Ma. [ 139 ] The King Dwaichen and some others fled to both the sunny and shaded sides of Shardza, [ 140 ] and it was at this time that they acquired new abodes. At that time our own Great and Powerful Genghis Khan [ 141 ] (the lord of the clan) also abandoned and fled from the district of Ule Yerkhen Dazhi to the area of upper Barwon, [ 142 ] located in the upper part of Kokonor. There they acquired new land as they settled under black and white tents. The subjects of the six controlled districts and their chieftains scattered in all directions. Some became the victims of gangs of bandits and were completely annihilated, whilst others are said to have fled, wondering to any place they could find. People from the six districts and around our fort who followed the Lord’s family had three lords and nine groups of subjects. [ 143 ] In total, there were a little over three hundred households. During this time, Emperor Mugton Tangtsung Bogto, also known by some as Mongolian Manju Changha, [ 144 ] had settled in the China’s capital, leading to a terrible and tumultuous war that subsided after about twelve years. At that time, Hor Lekden [ 145 ] was unsuccessful in Tibet and returned with his two queens and two princes. Along with three thousand soldiers of the eight Chakar groups, [ 146 ] he surrendered to Emperor Bogto. It was at this time he offered the royal seal of the Precious, Immutable Swastika to Mugton Bogto. It is said that the power of this seal established the relationship in which China, Hor, Manchu, and Mongolia came under the one-state policy of the [Manchus]. The forty-second successor was Sanshri Gung Gonpo Gyel, [ 147 ] who did not have a priest. When he was middle-aged, King Bogto’s son, Emperor Dekyi (Emperor Qianlong, 1711–1799), [ 148 ] became a patron of the Geluk tradition. His great minister, Mongolian King Gaushri Tendzin Chogyel, [ 149 ] became very powerful. Subsequently, he put the Mongolian settlements, Ziling, Dranak, [ 150 ] and others all under miserable conditions. An uprising arose as he began to proceed with his army to Tibet. In the face of this, Barchung Chede Yaggyel and Yagkor Uchen Pema Wangdrak, [ 151 ] who were relatives of our chief, refused to obey the chief’s orders. They took about one hundred different families and went to the south of the Dzachu River to surrender to Hor Mazur Tsang. [ 152 ] Once again, the two brothers did not get along well, and Che Yaggyal departed with about seventy families, settling in the valley of Washul Tramtar. [ 153 ] Some leaders came from [within those two groups] back to us in need of a clan to join, as well as provisions. These are the ones residing in Shuggur [ 154 ] to this day. The Uchen Sewang group could also not settle and came to Da Valley to reside. [ 155 ] Some of them came to settle in Ser Valley. [ 156 ] It is also said that many families of the clan separated due to infighting. At that time, the leader of the unrest, San Gung [the forty-second successor], did well in negotiating with Sog Gau Shri. Due to this, no harm was done to the people and they [were even] granted some benefits. The forty-third successor was the chief of Gungru Jasak called Lord Namlha Yak. [ 157 ] His father passed away when he turned fifteen. Not long after that, Khandro Lobzang Tenkyong [ 158 ] from Upper Mongolia created conflicts between the Tibetans and Mongols, provoking large unrest. At that time, three groups, (1) Ju Nangso, (2) Sog Dewa rod, and (3) Sershul fled to upper Dza, initially settling there. [ 159 ] The Ju Nangsog are descendants of Hau Puyan Tako and share the same blood lineage as ours. They were the lords of Mongra Fort, a minor fort under [the control of] Yerkhen. [ 160 ] Then gradually (4) Tarshul, (5) Bumshul Nying, (6) Ponpo, (7) Badur, (8) Trims Zagong, (9) Gemang, (10) Mangge, (11) Chitan, and (12) Chewo were the first to come. Those who came later were, (13) Getse Gong, (14) Gegab, (15) Trom Gab, (16) Arig Za, (17) Pongyu, (18) Ase Bayan, and (19) Bum Sar. [ 161 ] Thus, there were eighteen Mongolian clans together with the Ju clans of Hor. These nineteen clans swore allegiance to the [king] of Derge. It was at that time the three groups of lords and nine groups of subjects continued through the land of Machu and settled on the shaded side of the Dar Valley [ 162 ] in Machu. Since the aforementioned Sanshri Gung Gonpo Gyel and Jasak Namlha Yak were without priests, there were no state preceptors for two generations. The eldest prince of Jasak was Orgyen Tsering, who lived separately. Jasak’s middle son was Lord Tsangsangs Tendzin. [ 163 ] The youngest son was the Twentieth State Preceptor and Dharma Lord the Excellent Guru Gyurme Tashi Gyamtso (1714–1793), also called the great scholar and adept A Tsuta Maha Pandita Maha Guru Sara. [ 164 ] In the Male Wood Horse Year, called Victorious, he was born in Chag Trang [ 165 ] situated in the lower part of the Dar Valley in the land of Ma. In the Fire Monkey Year (1716), when [Tashi Gyamtso] was three years old, most of the Tibetans and Mongols from the Gelug tradition were provoked by [the god of desire], Metok Dachen. [ 166 ] When the impudent borderland army of the Dzungar Mongols marched to Central Tibet, it is said that they passed over a small part of Upper Ma. In the Earth Dog Year (1718), they caused large scale destruction to the teachings, principally the Nyingma teachings, especially at such monasteries as Dorje Drak and Mindroling. [ 167 ] When they returned in the Earth Pig Year (1719), a large Chinese army annihilated the Dzungar troops and their leaders. Simultaneously, a great majority of other Mongolian gurus and leaders were also annihilated by the law. As a result, the area became relatively peaceful. In the Iron Mouse Year (1720), most of the nomadic settlements in Ma escaped to other places as there were hidden enemies and bandits who were pillaging. It was difficult, in particular, to distinguish and know if the travellers claiming to be Mongolian were friends or foes. Losing hope, they decided this was not a place to reside for a significant period of time. These were the chief houses of Genghis Khan. The three groups of lords together with the nine settlements of subjects which are (1) Jamo, (2) Taklen, (3) Gurshul, (4) Gyarok Beli, (5) Tsanno Behu, (6) Achok Bechang, (7) Sokpo, (8), Gotsa, and (9) Gyeza. [ 168 ] In total, around one hundred and eighty families travelled here to the south. In Derge, the Dharma King Tenpa Tsering (1678–1738) [ 169 ] had just been enthroned [in 1714], and it was a great time for the clans to meet and submit to him. The chief house was given the position of a great lord like before. Chief Orgyen Tsering and Penkor Barchung Delek Rabten of separate houses were given the position of the great managers of Derge. Kyabkor Barchung Yeshe Tseten and Yagkor Barchung Gyeltsen Bum were given the position of the interior court. Gya, Tsan, and A were given the position of ministers like before as well as excellent resources and respect following the tradition of the kingdom. [ 170 ] Thereafter, during the time of land distribution, [the king] purposely sent the general secretary Tashi Wangchuk and gave [the Barchung] the opportunity to choose from the Dzachukha area, an incomparable place. They chose all the land of Dzahu Rama, the lands from the lower Chaktak Drangkha and the upper and lower Sakuti to the plain of Dza, the lands from Dzasang Hachak Gamapu to the entire area of Hura, Margo Womporing, upper and lower Sang Trichan, the entire land of Dzagyab Mukmo, [ 171 ] and the land that belong to the families of Lake Mang can. Thus, he gave excellent and vast lands to the smallest settlements for their resources. In brief, there were twenty-two successors of the Divine Ruler Genghis Khan of the Great Hor. Beginning from the reign of the twenty-second successor King Chagatai La Chinwang, who took control of the immutable Fort Yerkhen Dazhi in the land of north-eastern Tokar, to the forty-third successor Chief Gungru Jasak called Lord Namlha Yak, who was an owner of a nomadic black-haired tent. From the time of Chagatai La Chinwang’s younger brother, the first of the Great State Preceptors Sansu Tanzhin, or the precious Dharma Lord Yonten Pel, until Namlha Yak’s younger son the [Twentieth] State Preceptor A Tsuta Maha Pandita, Gyurme Tashi Gyamtso, the Dharma Lord of the great Translated Words of the Buddha, there were twenty excellent gurus. During these years, they were exclusively the lords who maintained and disseminated the lineage of the teachings and were the disciples of the victorious dharma lords of Katok [Monastery]. They also made offerings to and relied upon the deities of The Eight Pronouncements : Yamantaka, Vajrakila, and the protector the Mahakala as their supportive deities. They engaged exclusively in the root of all teachings called the Nyingma—the profound path of the secret Vajrayana [tradition] of the great and secret Early Translations, the tradition of the victorious Lake-Born, [ 172 ] who is the immortal and universal embodiment of all the victorious ones of the three times. Since the gurus and chiefs [of this clan] were self-composed, they could continue with their own tradition. They did not follow other traditions other than [Nyingma] and were not distracted by the vast selection of new or higher teachings. The forty-fourth successor and twenty-second successor [counting from Genghis Khan] was the great lord and doctor Sanggye Tendzin. [ 173 ] During his time, he performed excellent services to the Dharma King [of Derge] and his nephew. The king favoured him, granting great privileges. Our people found that he was quite dignified and paid him high respects as they prospered in wealth and reputation. At the age of eighty-seven he passed away, having greatly benefited beings, teaching medicine, and administering treatments His younger brother, the [Twentieth] State Preceptor, the great scholar and adept Gyurme Tashi Gyamtso received, trained in, and learnt [many teachings], relying upon many excellent teachers. These included Katok Drung Rinpoche, Minling Trichen Namgyel (1765–1812), Venerable Guru Mingyur Peldron (1699–1769), and the Second Dzogchen [Gyurme Tekchok Tendzin] (1699–1758). [ 174 ] There were many people to whom he offered the gift of the excellent teachings. These included the glorious and sacred master Katok Drung Rinpoche, Drime Zhing Gonpo (b. 1724), Gyelse Orgyen Tenpel, Gyelse Pema Namgyel, Karshing Rigdzin Chenpo, Minling Tri Trinle Namgyel (1765–1812), Khenchen Orgyen Tendzin Dorje (b.1742), Dordrak Rigdzin Chenpo Kham Sum Zilnon, the Eighteenth Lhatsun Zhabdrung, and Khampa Dzogchen Tulku Ngedon Tendzin Zangpo (1759–1792). [ 175 ] Most of their monastic students and other countless students from the north [of Tibet] were united through a single golden thread of bearing commitments to the teachings. These include people of Gome (Dome), Rongpo, Tsako, and Gyelmo Rong as well as the King of Dardo Chakla and the Lord Prince Lodro Gyamtso along with his mother, minister, and other government officials. [ 176 ] In brief, during the entirety of his life, his good and excellent deeds shone in all directions, and he passed away in the Water Ox Year (1793) at the age of eighty. Gyurme Tashi Gyamtso was alive, sometime during his fifties, he received from Changkya Rolwai Dorje [ 177 ] the title of State Preceptor A Tsuta Maha Pandita Maha Guru Sara, [ 178 ] or the supreme guru of the great crown jewel. Manchu Emperor Po Hwong also granted him many privileges and an ample amount of high respect. Emperor Po Hwong was the son of Kanshin, who was in turn the son of Emperor Dekyi, son of Pogto, the first Manchu Emperor. [ 179 ] During the time of this guru and lord, the remaining noble familial lineage of Barchung Tseyak Gyel of Tromkyi Shugu had ceased. [ 180 ] As such, they earnestly said there is no other way [for them to continue their familial line] unless they were gifted a son from the genuine, great, and noble Genghis Khan family—the Pen, Kyab, and Yak [families]. The lords agreed that it was suitable [for them to receive a child] from the highest family [of Genghis Khan]. However, there were only two boys, one of whom would be a guru and the other a lord. Penkor Delek Rabten’s second son, Gyamtso Tar, was chosen to be given to the Parkha family as their lord following the divinations and astrological calculations. [ 181 ] The forty-fifth successor, Lord Gonpo Wanggyel, [ 182 ] was a sound person, but he was weak and lost his power to the hands of others. At this time, the misdeeds of Lakho, an incapable person of the Yakkor community, [ 183 ] came to fruition, and a great number of our clan fled towards Namtsho Lake in the north. Afterwards, many of our settlements and families scattered to places like Serkhok, Gyade, and Shokpa. [ 184 ] The Lord [Gonpo Wanggyel] himself did not live past his fifties. The younger brother, Je Won Guru Tendzin Norbu,[ 185 ] was the twenty-first successor [counting from Genghis Khan]. He relied upon many excellent masters principally his paternal uncle who was a guru and the great state preceptor. He performed admirable deeds of the excellent ones such as scholarship, nobility, and kindness, passing away at sixty-six. The forty-sixth successor was Lord Kunzang Namgyel, and his younger brother was Gegen Choying Tendzin. [ 186 ] During their adolescence, the Derge representatives could not hold onto their governance, losing it to the selfish and powerful lords of Getse. These lords did what they wanted, taking the remaining settlements and entire territory of Barchung. The forty-seventh successor was Barchung Sanggye Tashi, even though he was not given the title of Lord. He and his younger brother, Guru Jigme Chodar, were the last actual successive lords of Genghis Khan’s descendants. [ 187 ] After these two brothers there were no more successive guru seat holders who were genuine descendants of the Genghis Khan lineage. However, the lord Won Guru Tendzin Norbu’s direct student was Guru Drubchen Pema Wanggyel of Adro. [ 188 ] I, Gyurme Pema Chogyel, an itinerant monk, and supposedly his reincarnation, possessing the name of an emanation and of the Dru lineage, am the current lineage holder, and I am still alive. [ 189 ] Furthermore, Adro Guru Pema Gyamtso, an excellent and supreme student of Gyurme Tashi Gyamtso, and the Derge retreatant and excellent guru, our own nephew Guru Kunzang Dargye also lived at the same time as Je Won Guru [Tendzin Norbu]. [ 190 ] COLOPHON Thus, The Ruby Garland i s a document of the genealogy of the Divine, Great Emperor Uhu Genghis Khan, an emanation of Manjughosha, and the state preceptors and gurus connected with that genealogy. Gyurme Pema Chogyel, also known as Rigdzin Tubten Gelek Pelzangpo Chokle Nampar Gyelwai De, the Twenty-Third State Preceptor of Genghis Khan’s lineage wrote it. [ 191 ] It was composed on a virtuous day in the sixth month of the Water Mouse Year (1852?) to fulfil the wishes of Lord Rigdzin, [ 192 ] a descendant of Gyamtso Tar, who is unmistakably Genghis Khan’s descendent and State Preceptor, Santang Ola Pen. [ 193 ] May it be victorious! As the ancient saying goes: “The immutable fort is the Fort of Yerkhen Dazhi. The immutable lords are the descendants of the heavenly Genghis Khan. The immutable subjects are the communities of the three and nine districts. The number of subjects is said to be one hundred and fifty-five thousand, two hundred and ten.” A later saying posits: “The descendants of the heavenly Genghis Khan governed the left, right, lower, and central regional divisions of Kokonor. There were three thousand and two hundred black nomadic tents, sixty families, and over three hundred lord families. Thus, these are the two sayings [associated with the descendants of Genghis Khan].” After some time, when they arrived in the south, there were three communities of lords: Pen, Kyab, and Yak. There were nine communities of subjects: Ja, Tak, and Gur, three communities of ministers: Gya, Tsen and A, and the three communities of subjects: Gon, Sok, and Gyo. Within those twelve [ 194 ] communities numbered around one hundred and eighty families. It is said that during the time of the Lord Tsodze Chenpo [ 195 ] and the state preceptor gurus and brothers [Tashi Gyamtso and Sanggye Tendzin], the status [of the whole community] was higher than that of Brahma. May it be victorious! NOTES [1 ] rlangs [2] ta'i ming, 大名 [3] dmu thag [4] sbor ta' ching [5] ta' chi gan; tham cha ga [6] ching ji mer gan [7] la'u dza be ra 'ol and sis kin dun [8] sems dza 'o dzi and la ju [9] nun mer gan [10] a lan kho and len lun mo'o ma [11] bo ton char and char mer gan [12] ga chi the'i ho'u; sbi khir [13] man tho don; ga'i thu gan [14] ba'i shing; kho ra thog shing [15] dum bi ha'i khan; ga bu la gan [16] bar than bA' dur; ye phur ga bA dur [17] ching gis rgyal po'am jing gir [18] ye phur ga ba dur; mo hu lun [19] The original text states this is the Water Male Tiger Year. [20] the mun jen and tha'i tsu zhing u hu wang rdI, 皇帝 [21] The original text states thirty-eight. [22] gdung brgyud this tsi, 太子 [23] ju chi; thog mog [24] cha ga ta'i; chin wang, 亲王; thod dkar [25] Yardkand or Yarkent (yer khen) is currently a county in Uyghur Autonomous Region and used to belong to Chagatai Khanate. [26] khal kha don 'grub wang, 'ju, and 'bar chung [27] sras this tsi; a b+ho la [28] i ma ma hu li; sa dmar gyi mkhar [29] a ti ra ma hA ma ri; bA la sha'i mkhar [30] kong kha ra to lo; rom and sdom la'i mkhar [31] the mur; o ru kho; and mkhar b+hu ha [32] u go ta; tha'i tsung ing wen hu wang rdI [33] go yug; ting tsung sti yan phing hu wang rdI [34] stong kha tho lo [35] mung khe; Shi yan tsung hu ban su hu wang rdI; mong gol gan gya [36] u la go ta [37] hu pi la'i; se chen gan gyar [38] se chen gan gya [39] ba hu wang [40] the mur, or ching tshung ku wang Shi'o 'u hu wang rdI [41] ul jo'i thu', or ol ja du [42] kwi zhi'u yung thang [43] khin cha [44] gzhi son; h+phu sang; si yang [45] dwa'i yu'an, 大元; and chen po hor [46] u tshung Shan Sho'i hu wang rdI, or khu lug, or go yug [47] a yu par sa ta zhin tshung khin Shi'u hu, or bu yan thu rgyal po [48] shu b+ho pha la yin tsung wen Shi 'u hu wang rdI, or ko kon rgyal po [49] yi sun the mur jing wang thi'i ting rgyal po [50] ra khyi phag, or a su ki ba [51] thug tho mur [52] ku sha la ming tsung rgyal po, or ku la go thu [53] the mur wen tsung ja ya thu [54] rin chen dpal [55] blon chen em tha mur tha shris [56] tho gan the mur hu'i tsung zhun hu wang rdI, or u hA rgyal po [57] tA'i ming tha'i tsung rgyal po [58] tho gar the mur [59] hor legs ldan zhu thog rgyal po; gtsang pa sde srid karma bstan skyong dbang po [60] tI shri [61] tha'i tsung rgyal po [62] hu'ang kyo'u zi lha khang [63] The priest-patron relationship, or mchod yon, played a pivotal role in the history of Tibet by establishing connections with other dynasties including the Yuan, Ming, and Qing. [64] kyi hun [65] ye wung g.yung lo chen po [66] bzhin rdzung [67] zon de [68] ci thung [69] kyin tha [70] then shun [71] There are spelling variances in the text with ton shun, thon shun, and ten shun, alluding to the same individual. [72] ye dbang [73] the shun [74] u tsung, zhi tsung; shon tsung; khrung tsun [75] li tsi ching [76] tha'i tsung bog to rgyal po; zhi tsu hu wang rdI; mug ton; man ju sog po ching hwa [77] tI shri blon chen po [78] tha'i tsu zhing phu hu wang rdI [79] this tsi gnyi pa cha ga tA'i la chin wang rgyal gpo [80] Yerkhen and Yarkant are the same fortress. [81] tI shri blon chen po 01, chos rjes yon tan dpal, slob dpon gsan su twan zhin. It is also important to mention here that bla rab and tI shri are interchangeable in the text. [82] kaHtok gtsang ston rdo rje rgyal mtshan; byams pa 'bum [83] a bO la Jing wang [84] tI shri blon chen po 02, chos rje ye shes rgyal mtshan dpal; thung Shuwan dA sha'i [85] han wang kho la jing [86] tI shri blon chen po 03, chos rje dge legs dpal; h+pho zhi ku wang gi po'u dA sha'i [87] tA wang gnas go ye; lha khang ta'i tis tur [88] tI shri blon chen po 04, chos rje sbyin pa dpal; wu wan h+pha h+pha gi yo'u dA shi'i [89] gsan wang tho mer [90] tI shri blon chen po 05, chos rje rgya mtsho dpal; u wan h+pha tho'u yin mi'o'u si wan dA sha'i [91] yer khen dA zhi Ta wang [92] tI shri blon chen po 06, chos rje byams pa dpal; wu wan h+pha thung Shu wan dA sha'i [93] h+phu tA'i wang u lke be [94] tI shri blon chen po 07, 'khyil ba kun dga dpal; Thu wan h+phu thung si wan dA sha'i [95] shrIr rna dA la'i wang [96] tI shri blon chen po 08, chos rjes rgyal mtshan 'bum [97] ma ga shrI pha la yon wang [98] tI shri blon chen po 09, chos rjes byang chub dpal; Thu wan h+pha Shu'an u dE sha'i [99] gsan wang ol go the mu [100] ti shri 10 pur+N+ye shri [101] ching gin dA la'i wang kun dga' rdo rj rgyal po [102] gsan zhi tA wang ching [103] hor khal ka Don 'grub wang chen po [104] tI shri blon chen po 11, slob dpon zhi bad pal, hu wang me'i zi'i bdag po; thung hu dA sha'i [105] gser yig [106] ha'u phu yan tA ko [107] a mnyes sngags pa mdung nag can bcu gsum [108] kun dga' rdo rje [109] ching gin gsan wang gau shri dbang phyug rgyal mtshan [110] u le yerk hen dwa zhis rdzong; bsang hor; o rod [111] tI wang ye then thog tu [112] tI shri blon chen po 12, chos rjes dri med dpal, thung Shi wan mi nyi gi yo'u ya mi dA sha'i; mdo sngags mkhas grub gsang ba'i bdag po [113] bdag po tho gan the mur [114] tA'i ming tha'i tsung rgyal po [115] tA las wang thang Thir thi mang+ga shri [116] tI shri blon chen po 13, chos rjes mtha' yas dpal, min than Ta to yu wan bzhun thung gi yo'u dA sha'i; gdams pa'i bka' babs yon tan gter mdzod kha sbyor mchog ldan rgyal bstan 'degs pa [117] i la si kyi wang pa cha ra [118] tI shri blon chen po 14, chos rjes bka shis dga' wa'i dpal, lin than dA te kha'i san Shi'o thung gi yo'u dA sha'i; gdams pa'i bka' babs yon tan gter mdzod bslab gsum 'dom spel rgyal brtsan zhabs nas 'degs pa [119] The temples and their districts include: (1) lha khang chong ti dE ba – u le yerk hen dwa zhis rdzong (2) lha hang ra phu dE ba – o rong rdzong (3) lha khang a yur dE ba – ma la pu n+rar rdzong (4) lha khang si'u pa ti dE ba – dA’un tsung gi rdzong (5) lha khang sas si so to dE ba – mong ra mkhar rdzong (6) lha khang on sa ge dE ba – the bo ra si rdzong (7) lha khang mi nyi gi dE ba – 'o shan ba si rdzong [120] el ce wang gsan gau shri [121] tA'i ming ye dbang ngam g.yung lo chen po [122] tI shri blon chen po 15, chos rjes bla chen 'od zer dpal ba [123] TU'i lu zi gi yo'u tu tsung thung dA'u thung Ton Ti Than shi'i khing zho'u Tar le'u [124] klong chen pa dri med 'od zer, BDRC P1583 [125] tA wang tho lo ge chi [126] tI shri blon chen po 02, ra rna ko tu [127] tA las wang gsi bi Tha nA tha [128] tI shri blon chen po 17, chos rjes rgyal mtshan dpal; kha'i san Thi'o kyang Thu wang dwa Theng kyas min than shi'i [129] tA las bA dur thar ba skyabs [130] rgyal po tA las wang gsi [131] 'phen skor; skyabs skor; yag skor; and rje nges tsho gsum [132] 'ja' mo; stag len; and gur shul [133] gsan wang tA shir o la 'phen [134] dwa ben tshe ring skyabs; su ki ni tho lod yag [135] tI shri blon chen po 18, chos rjes legs pa dpal; h+phu tsung hung gi yo'u dA sha'i; brgyud skyongs bstan spel [136] ye wan the bun tsi tA gau shri [137] tI shri blon chen po 19, chos rjes bson nams dpal; sa h+pho ki yo phud man dA sha'i [138] tA'i ming tho shun rgyal po [139] mtsho sngon; o rod tsho yan bzhi bcu; rma stod [140] dwa'i chen rgyal po and shar rdza [141] jing gir wang chen po [142] According to 'ju dgon po sprul sku, bar won is in them chen district under Qinghai province. [143] 'bangs [144] mug ton thang tsung bog to rgyal po; sog man ju chang hwa [145] hor legs ldan [146] cha dkar mtsho brgyad [147] gsan shrI gung mgon po rgyal [148] bde skyid rgyal po [149] blon chen sog po rgyal gau shri bstan 'dzin chos rgyal [150] zi ling and sbra nag [151] 'bar chung che de yag rgyal; yag skor dbu chen pad+ma dbang drag [152] rdza rgyud; hor ma zur tsang [153] wa shul khram thar khog [154] shug gur [155] dbu chen sad dbang; zla khog [156] gser khog [157] gung ru ja sag dpon gnam lha yag [158] mkha' 'gro blo bzang bstan skyong [159] 1. 'ju nang so; 2. sog sde bA; 3. ser shul [160] ha'u phu yan tA ko; mong ra mkhar rdzong [161] 4. thar shul; 5 'bum shul rnying, 6 dpon po; 7 bA dur; 8 khrims bza' gong; 9 dge mang; 10 mang dge; 11 chis tAn; 12 che wo; 13 dge rtse gong; 14 dge 'gab; 15 khrom 'gab; 16 a rig bza'; 17 dpon rgyu; 18 a se bA yan; and 19 'bum gsar [162] dar lung [163] o rgyan tshe ring; dpon tsang sangs bstan 'dzin [164] tI shri 20, chos rjes 'gyur med bkra shis rgya mtsho; mkhas grub chen po 'a tsU Ta ma hA paN Ti ta ma hA gu ru sa ra; BDRC P8741 [165] lcags 'phrang [166] me tog mda' can ('dod lha ) is the god of desire. [167] rdo rje brag dgon; smin grol gling [168] 1 'ja' mo; 2 stag len; 3 gur shul; 4 rgya rog bE li; 5 tsan no be hu; 6 a lcog be cang; 7 sog po; 8 mgo rtsa; 9 gye za [169] sde dge rgyal po 10 bstan pa tshe ring, BDRC P4095 [170] 'phen skor 'bar chung bde legs rab brten – gner chen; skyabs skor 'bar chung ye shes tshe brtan and yag skor 'bar chung rgyal mtshan 'bum – mdun skor nang ma; and rgya, tsan, and a – blon [171] rdza hu ra ma; lcags thag 'phrang kha man; sa ku ti; rdza gsang ha cag 'ga' ma phu; hu ra; mar sgo womp u ring; gsang khri; rdza rgyab smug mo [172] mtsho 'khrung [173] sangs rgyas bstan 'dzin [174] kaH thog drung rin po che; smin gling khri chen 05 'phrin las rnam rgyal, BDRC P674 (It is not clear to us whether this is the Third Throne Holder rin chen rnam rgyal (1694–1758; BDRC P674 ) or the Fifth Throne Holder mentioned in this paragraph.); rje bla ma mi 'gyur dpal sgron, BDRC P678 ; and rdzogs chen grub dbang 02 'gyur med theg mchog bstan 'dzin, BDRC P677 [175] kaH thog drung rin po che; dri med zhing mgon po, BDRC P5972 ; rgyal sras o rgyan bstan 'phel; rgyal sras pad ma rnam rgyal; mkhar shing rig 'dzin chen po; smin gling khri chen 'phrin las rnam rgyal; smin gling mkhan chen 03 o rgyan bstan 'dzin rdo rje, BDRC P683 ; rdor brag rig 'dzin chen po khams gsum zil gnon; lha btsun 18 zhabs drung; khams pa rdzogs chen grub dbang 03 nges don bstan 'dzin bzang, BDRC P7404 [176] sgo me/rdo me; rong bo; tsa kho; rgyal mo rong; dar mdo lcags la mi che sa’i rgyal ba/mi nyag lcags la rgyal po; bdag po lha sras blo gros rgya mtsho [177] lcang skya rol pa'i rdo rje [178] tI shrir tsU Ta ma Ti ma hA ru sa rA [179] man ju bog to sras/ bde skyid rgyal po/ de sras khang shin/ de sras rgyal po hwong [180] krom kyi shu gur 'bar chung tshe yag rgyal [181] rgya mtsho thar; 'phen skor bde legs rab brten; phar kha [182] dpon mgon po dbang rgyal [183] yag skor ba bla kho [184] gser khog; rgya sde; shog pa [185] rje dbon bla ma bstan 'dzin nor bu [186] dpon kun bzang rnam rgyal; dge rgan chos dbyings bstan 'dzin [187] 'bar chung sangs rgyas bkra shis; bla ma 'jigs med chos dar [188] a gro bla ma sgrub chen pad+ma dbang rgyal [189] 'gyur med pad+ma chos rgyal; 'bru rigs [190] a gro bla ma pad+ma rgya mtsho; kun bzang dar rgyas [191] bla rab 'dzin pa 23 rig 'dzin tub bstan dge legs dpal bzang po phyogs las rnam par rgyal ba'i sde [192] dpon rig 'dzin [193] gsan Tang tI shri o la 'phen [194] The text states thirteen communities, however, there are only twelve. [195] dpon 'tsho mdzad chen po BIBLIOGRAPHY 'Gyur med pad+ma chos rgyal. 1852?. ' Jam dbyangs brtan pa'i 'khor lo'i sgyu 'phrul gyi rol gar 'od gsal gnam gyi lha zhing u hu wang jing gir gyi gdung rab yi ger bkod pa pad+ma rA ga'i phreng ba zhes bya ba bzhugs so . London: Tib Shelf W001 Abstract The Ruby Garland is a genealogy of the Tibetan clans Barchung and Ju, descended from Genghis Khan. It might be the only Tibetan historical document that holds a clear account of Buddhism's existence in Mongolia during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Parallel historical narratives can be found in the official historical records of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Shi (明史). TIB SHELF W001 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 HISTORICAL PERIOD 13th Century 14th Century 15th Century 16th Century 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century CLAN Barchung LORDS 1. Genghis Khan 2. Chagatai Khan 3. Borta Ching (pending) 4. Hanwang Khola Jing 5. Tawang Negoye 6. Sanwang Tomer 7. Yerkhen Dazhi Tawang 8. Hputai Wang Ulkebe 9. Shrir Nadalai Wang 10. Maga Shri Palayon Wang 11. Sanwang Olgo Temu 12. Chinggi Dalai Wang Kunga Dorje 13. Wangchuk Gyeltsen 14. Tiwang Yeten Toktu 15. Tale Wangtang Tirti Mangga Shri 16. Ila Sikyi Wangpa Chara 17. Elche Wangsan Gaushri 18. Tawang Tolo Gechi 19. Tale Wangsiwi Tanata 20. Sanwang Tashir Ola Pen 21. Yewan Tebun Tsita Gaushri 22. Sanshri Gung Gonpo Gyel 23. Namlha Yak 24. Sanggye Tendzin 25. Gonpo Wanggyel 26. Kunzang Namgyel 27. Sanggye Tashi STATE PRECEPTORS 1. Dharma Lord Yonten Pel 2. Dharma Lord Yeshe Gyeltsen Pel 3. Dharma Lord Gelek Pel 4. Dharma Lord Jinpa Pel 5. Dharma Lord Gyamtso Pel 6. Dharma Lord Jampa Pel 7. Khyilwa Kunga Pel 8. Dharma Lord Gyeltsen Bum 9. Dharma Lord Jangchub Pel 10. Purnye Shri 11. Zhiwa Pel 12. Dharma Lord Drime Pel 13. Dharma Lord Taye Pel 14. Dharma Lord Tashi Gawai Pel 15. Dharma Lord Lachen Ozer Pelwa 16. Rana Kotu 17. Dharma Lord Gyeltsen Pel 18. Dharma Lord Lekpa Pel 19. Dharma Lord Sonam Pel 20. Dharma Lord Lama Gyurme Tashi Gyatso No State Preceptors for two Generations 21. Lama Tendzin Norbu 22. Choying Tendzin 23. Lama Jigme Chodar (no title and end of bloodline) 24. Drubchen Pema Wanggyel (lama of the lineage) 25. Gyurme Pema Chogyel (author) TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf Rachael Griffiths INSTITUTIONS N/A STUDENTS N/A AUTHOR Gyurme Pema Chögyal The Ruby Garland: A Genealogy of the Emperor Uhu Wang Genghis Khan VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • A Brief History of Drago Monastery

    From imperial-era Nyingma roots to its 17th-century Geluk conversion, Drago Monastery continues as a major Buddhist center, now housing 500 monks and preserving Tibetan culture. A Brief History of Drago Monastery The glorious Hor Drago Ganden Rabten Nyamgal Ling Monastery upholds the Great Lord’s (Tsongkhapa) tradition, the refined gold of the Victor’s teachings. [ 1 ] Tibet—a great land of accomplishment completely encompassed by mountains—is the stage of our sole, destined deity, the most exalted Lotus Holder (Avalokiteśvara). It is in this deity’s realm that the flower of the snow-mountain people of Tibet fell. When Gyalse Lhalung Palgyi Dorje was practicing and passing through the Six Ranges of Dokham: Drida Salmogang, Tsawagang, Markhamgang, Poborgang, Mardzagang, and Minyak Rabgang, following his liberation of Langdarma, he constructed the initial Hor Drago Monastery (around 920 CE) .[ 2 ] This occurred in the supreme sacred place of Ramagang, which is endowed with such excellent qualities as the four pillars and the four protectors of the land .[ 3 ] It is located about a mile south of the center of the Drago district, a county called Trehor Dago of Dotö, which belongs to greater Tibet when Tibet is divided into Tibet and greater Tibet. Today we can see the supreme, sacred places of Lhari Chödzong Mukpo and Dori Barsing, where Lhalung Palgyi Dorje conducted accomplishment practices for some time in the many caves where ḍākinīs congregate. [ 4 ] He gathered the accumulations [of merit and wisdom] through making an unthinkable amount of real and mentally emanated offerings to the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. As a sign of this accomplishment, there is an imprint of one of his offerings in the stone at the sacred place of Ramagang, which can still be seen today. In 1633, Dza Chöje Ngawang Puntsok, the great heart disciple of the Fifth Supreme Victor, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso who is the crown jewel of all beings, even the gods, converted Hor Drago Monastery to the Geluk tradition. [ 5 ] He named the monastery The Steadfast and Utter Victorious Religious Institutional Abode: A Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Victor’s Teaching and All-Conquering Order of the Powerful Sovereign ( Ganden Rabten Namgyal Ling Chödra Gyalten Yishin Norbu Wangi Gyalpo Chokle Nampar Gyalwe De ). The victorious resounding drum of this monastery’s fame came to fill the earth. [DRAGO MONASTERY'S ARTWORK] At that time, the benevolent lord Tseten Norbu, an emanation of a great bodhisattva king, was the great ruler of the land. [ 6 ] Being a descendent of Hor Godan Khan, Tseten Norbu was a descendent of the heavenly king, lord Genghis Khan. The benevolent lord Tseten Norbu sent applications to the kings of Tibet and China (Manchu), intending to construct Drago Monastery’s principal sacred object—a Jowo Rinpoche statue of white silver and riches as a representation of the Teacher (Buddha Śākyamuni). Having invited craftsmen from Nepal and other areas, the beautifully crafted and high-quality statue was constructed for devotees to collect their merit. The Nanghola Temple, which is also named “Marvelous Temple,” was built to house this precious statue .[ 7 ] Above its door, the temple’s name was written in three scripts: Tibetan (Tsedé Ling), Mongolian (Nanghola), and Chinese. Namkha Gyen, an unrivaled and divinely emanated artisan, was born in the village of Tropa, Drago. [ 8 ] When he was a young boy, he went to herd cattle but ended up falling asleep. In his dream he had a vision of the master Lake-Born Vajra (Padmasambhava), who said to him, “From now on you must paint deities, as it’ll accomplish vast benefit for beings.” [ 9 ] The master then handed Namkha Gyen the artistic tools that he would need. Upon awakening from his nap, Namkha Gyen recalled many imprinted memories from his previous lives, then noticed four brushes and a complete set of tools right in front of him, which he clutched immediately. Never needing to learn how to paint, he became widely known as a divinely emanated artisan, as his innate talent naturally produced divine works of art. There are many of his sacred paintings at the monastery that are endowed with refined artisanship and shimmer with blessings. Painted scrolls and frescos of the six ornaments, two supreme ones, and Sukhāvatī are some of these precious sacred works. [ 10 ] It is said that a master woodcarver capable of engraving a lion and snow mountain facing each other on a single grain of barley was born in a village called Dragyab in Drago. [ 11 ] He carved many scriptural woodblocks and statues of buddhas and bodhisattvas, including the four Kadam deities, a liberating diagram, the Kuntik maṇḍala, and woodblocks of the Great Compassionate One (Avalokiteśvara). [ 12 ] (Historical documents also record that he carved the monastery’s name above the door in Mongolian, but this has yet to be found.) ESTABLISHING DRAGO MONASTERY'S PHILOSOPHICAL COLLEGE In Kardze Kushab Trungsar Lama Lobsang Puntsok’s dream, a samaya-breaking elemental spirit was on the verge of wreaking havoc by loosening an arrow at Drago Monastery. [ 13 ] The lama thought establishing a philosophical college would be beneficial in preventing this catastrophe. When Drago’s political rulers came before him, he described his dreams in minute detail. [Upon learning about the vision], the people of Drago requested him to come and establish the philosophical college. But Lama Lobsang Puntsok replied, “In the past, the Great Fifth [Dalai Lama] ordered Amdo Jamyang Shepa to establish philosophy colleges at thirteen monasteries in Hor. So, you should invite him.” [ 14 ] At first, a messenger was dispatched to Ladrang Tashikhyil to invite Amdo Jamyang Shepa, and slowly about a hundred laypeople and monastics of Drago made the trip. [ 15 ] Jamyang Shepa embarked on his journey to Drago after receiving the initial messenger. But, since it was not the right time for him to come, a fiercely powerful and massive river unlike anything seen before surged and flooded the road. They waited there for a while, but Jamyang Shepa came to realize that the timing was not quite right. So, before making his homeward journey, he sent a skilled swimmer with a letter that read, “Although this is not the right time for me to come to Drago, at some point, there will be a person named Jamyang who will establish a philosophical college at Drago Monastery.” [Many decades later,] Jamyang Shepa’s reincarnation Jamyang Surpa who lived at Sera Keutsang Hermitage eventually came to Kham and established Drago Monastery’s philosophical college for sūtra studies in the “All-Mighty,” Fire, Female-Ox year (1817) of the fourteenth sexagenary. [ 16 ] AN ACCOUNT OF DRAGO MONASTERY'S SUBLIME LAMAS Jetsun Lama Dampa Keutsang Lobsang Tenzin Yargye On the fifteenth day of the third month of the Wood, Sheep year in the village of Kharshul, Karze, the glorious and kind Lobsang Tenzin Yargye was born to Tsetan (father) and Atso (mother) .[ 17 ] He was ordained at the age of seven by the glorious and excellent Trungsar Dorjechang Losang Puntsok Tutob Gyatso. [ 18 ] Kushap Lodrö Puntsok came to recognize him as the reincarnation of Keutsang Lama Pönlop Jampa Mönlam. [ 19 ] When he went to Lhasa at the age of twelve, he studied the sūtra and tantra teachings as he relied upon many spiritual masters—namely, the omniscient protector, [the Eleventh Dalai Lama] Khedrup Gyatso. [ 20 ] He would later return to Kham and take responsibility for Drago Monastery’s teachings of scripture and realization all the while compassionately caring for his disciples. Lobsang Tenzin Yargye authored numerous texts, including The Essence of Tantra and Sūtra: Notes Taken During the Bestowal of The Fifty Verses on the Lama and Eight Serious Downfalls and Fourteen Root Downfalls ; The Harbor from which Bodhisattva Captains Board on the Ship That Traverses the Ocean of the Two Accumulations: How to Practice the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment conjointly with Mahāyāna Mind Training ; Stream of Faith: A Melodious Praise to Remember the Guru’s Kindness ; The Guide who Presents the Excellent Path of Great Bliss: Pith Instruction for the Yoga of Harnessing Amitābha combined with the Practice of Transference . In the perception of his disciples, he concluded his life by dissolving his rūpakāya while abiding in meditative equipoise within the dharmadhātu, the nature of bliss and emptiness. This sublime being’s reincarnation took birth twice in the village of Gangshab, but both ended up passing away shortly after. [ 21 ] Keutsang Choktrul Rinpoche, Tubten Palden Gelek Nyamgyal In the Water, Male-Tiger year of the fifteenth sexagenary cycle, Tubten Palden Gelek Nyamgyal was born in Shaposhi in eastern Minyak to Apo (father) and Tsering Drölma (mother). [ 22 ] Sigyab the great vajra-holder prophesied and recognized him as the reincarnation of the supreme Keutsang. [ 23 ] When he turned four on the sixteenth day of the eleventh month in the Wood, Snake year, Drago Monastery invited him to Sengdeng Hermitage Dechen Samten Ling and offered him the room called “Tashi Nyi'ö Khyilwa.” [ 24 ] At the age of eight, he was enthroned as Drago Monastery’s throne holder. He eventually traveled to Lhasa and studied all the teachings of sūtra and tantra. Being endowed with unimaginable qualities of erudition and discipline, he became as famed as the sun throughout China and Tibet. Dragkar Tulku Lobsang Palden Tenzin Nyendrak Lobsang Palden Tendzin Nyendrak was born in the fifteenth sexagenary cycle. [ 25 ] He became a great scholar who hoisted the precious victory banner of theory and practice into the sky. He accomplished this by bestowing the teachings of the fourth guide of this fortunate age (Buddha Śākyamuni) and the great Jamgön Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings of scripture and realization. There are twelve volumes of his works that cover sūtra, tantra, and the general sciences. His main residence was Gethar, situated in Drago. [ 26 ] Tri Rinpoche Jampa Chödrak Tri Rinpoche Jampa Chödrak was born in the village of Walung. [ 27 ] He enrolled in Drago Monastery’s religious studies institution at an early age and studied Prajñāpāramitā and valid cognition, among other topics. He traveled to central Tibet at the age of fifteen and enrolled at Drepung Monastery, where he thoroughly studied the five major subjects .[ 28 ] There he earned a Geshe Lharam degree and became well known since he was the top of his class. [ 29 ] He went on to enroll in the glorious Gyumé Monastery and became an erudite authority in the study of secret mantra. [ 30 ] He later became the abbot of Gyumé and subsequently Jangtse Monastery’s throne holder. [ 31 ] In 1920, he became Ganden Monastery’s golden-throne holder and continued to conduct marvelous and unfailing spiritual activities of the three spheres. [ 32 ] After completing his role as the Ganden throne holder, he traveled to Nepal and renovated the Svayaṃbhūnāth Stūpa and consecrated it while he presented an immense number of offerings. This, in turn, made him extremely popular. [ 33 ] In the end, he passed into the dharmadhātu. His reincarnation, Jampa Chökyi Tendar, was born in Lhasa. [ 34 ] He enrolled in a monastery at a young age and learned the Tibetan scripts and studied Buddhist scripture. He later came to Drago Monastery and was the monastery’s throne holder. He accomplished magnificent benefit for sentient beings and the teaching by heading prayer festivals. Tulku Lobsang Palden Tenpe Gyaltsen Lobsang Palden Tenpe Gyaltsen, the reincarnation of Khenpo Lobsang Wangchuk, was born in the nomadic area of Norpa, Drago. [ 35 ] He traveled to Lhasa and enrolled in a monastery at the age of twenty, where he thoroughly and broadly studied the teachings of sūtra and tantra. Returning home, he greatly benefitted his disciples and the restoration of the teachings until he passed away at the age of sixty-one. Trehor Kyor Pönpo Rinpoche Tsewang Norbu Trehor Kyor Pönpo Rinpoche Tsewang Norbu, the renunciant lord of siddhas, was born in the village of Tropa, adjacent to the central district of Drago. [ 36 ] Ever since he was young, he was free from the behaviors of ordinary people, possessed a strong faith in the Three Jewels, and developed renunciation, bodhicitta, and a pristine view in his heart. He enrolled in Drago Monastery, where he studied reading while he was receiving teachings. Following his time at Drago Monastery, he went to Lhasa and enrolled at Drepung Monastery, where he thoroughly studied the main scriptures. There he earned a Geshe Lharam degree and became well known since he was the top of his class. Eventually he entered the glorious Gyumé Monastery and studied the great secret-mantra tradition. In the end, he renounced all worldly matters and entrusted his three doors of body, speech, and mind to a life of isolation, while he practiced all that he had learned. Consequently, he developed clear realization, leading people to revere him as the crown jewel of all scholars and siddhas and giving him the moniker of the “Second Lord Milarepa.” Kushab Jampa Rinpoche Kushab Jampa Rinpoche’s first reincarnation was Lama Lobsang of Hor .[ 37 ] He was the master of the twenty-five lamas of the local ruler. His residence was at Sangra Hermitage, where he practiced meditation, eventually passing away. [ 38 ] The second reincarnation, Geshe Gönpo Rinchen, was born in the nomadic area of Norwa, Drago .[ 39 ] He went to Lhasa in central Tibet, where he enrolled in a monastery and received a Geshe degree. After returning to his homeland, he gave numerous teachings, empowerments, and transmissions. In the end, he upheld the lifestyle of a renunciant yogin, practicing the essence of the scriptures. This resulted in the state of his accomplishment reaching a high level. The third reincarnation, Kushap Jampa Rinchen, was born in Tau, and Purchok Jampa Rinpoche recognized him as the reincarnation of the previous Jampa Rinpoche .[ 40 ] He was accepted by Kushab Khentrul and went to Lhasa at the age of fifteen to join Drepung Monastery. He took the title of “Tulku of the Great Assembly” and completed the studies of five major scriptural subjects. He escaped to India in 1950 and is still alive, emanating the light of scholastic qualities. [ 41 ] Furthermore, like an unbroken garland of jewels, there have been numerous learned and accomplished holders of the Tripiṭaka. Gehse Sönam Gönpo and Geshe Yeshe Norbu are two such examples of these excellent and great beings. They are emanations merely playing the role of a human. [ 42 ] All these excellent beings benefitted the precious Buddhist teachings and sentient beings in addition to developing Drago Monastery’s teachings that integrate the sūtra and mantra traditions. There are an unlimited number of biographies concerning these spectacular people but penning them here would be much too extensive. DRAGO MONASTERY'S FOUR GREAT HERMITAGES 1. In the past, Sanglung Palgyi Hermitage in the Sugye valley was the abode of numerous yogins known as the "four protectors and five communities.” [ 43 ] Take Repa Janchup Öser as an example of one of these yogins. [ 44 ] Lobsang Tsultrim Tenpe Gyaltsen and Lamdrak Dorjechang Kalsang Namgyal were among the many others who came to live there. [ 45 ] The hermitage holds a tradition of having twenty-five monks live at the hermitage. 2. Sungjuk Gawé Hermitage situated in Noru is the sacred place of accomplishment of Tongkor Lama Jamyang Gedun Gyatso and Amdo Lama Döndrub Miyi Senge. [ 46 ] It maintains a tradition of having twenty-five monks live at the hermitage. 3. Sengdeng Hermitage was the seat of Pangnang Kyabgön Shalupa. [ 47 ] Eventually Ala Geshe Yeshe Tsöndru lived there, followed by Kharsar Lama Sönam Tashi, Keutsang Lama Tenzin Yargye, and Keutsang Tubten Palden Gelek Nyamgyal, respectively. [ 48 ] Twenty-five monks live at the hermitage. 4. Sangra Hermitage was founded by the benevolent lord Tseten Norbu for twenty-five Hor lamas to teach, practice, and study secret mantra. [ 49 ] Geshe Gönpo Rinpoche later developed it even further. Then Khentrul Lobsang Palden Tenpe Gyaltsen and Yangtrul Jampa Tubten Rinchen lived there. There are twenty-five monks, five nuns, and around one hundred male and female lay disciples at the hermitage. RASOGANG On the sacred Rasogang (Goat Feeding Hill) there is a stūpa which the Dharma king Aśoka erected with his magic power. [ 50 ] This occurred when the Dharma king constructed millions of stūpas around the world. This stūpa contains relics of Buddha Kāśyapa. When Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo invited the Unshing Kongjo (Wencheng), a noble heiress of Tang emperor Taizong, to be his queen, she came with a divinely emanated goat hauling soil intended for the construction of the Rasa Trulnang Temple (Jokhang Temple). [ 51 ] Since they stayed in Drago and fed the goat on that hill, the place is called Rasogang. The intelligent minister (Gar Tongtsen) and the princes constructed a temple as well as a Jowo (Buddha) statue there. [ 52 ] This temple is said to be one of the Further Taming Temples. [ 53 ] A CURRENT ACCOUNT OF DRAGO MONASTERY During the time of the teaching’s revival [in the 1980s], Drago’s laypeople and monastics, such as Tritrul Jampa Chödak Tendar, Kushab Jampa Tubten Rinchen, Tripa Geshe Ador, Geshe Yeshe Döndrub, chant leader Jamyang, and the leader of the monks Gönpa Kyab, convened and consulted lamas and deities. [ 54 ] As a result, on the eighth day of the tenth month in Wood, Male-Rat year, 1984, of the sixteenth sexagenary cycle, they began to prepare the foundation of Drago Monastery’s temple. This took place at the foot of the auspicious and verdant Rasogang in the mountain range of Dokham Salmogang. The scale of the temple is eighty-eight pillar measurements. The Jokhang temple is the length of forty-nine pillars measurements. The two-story mantra temple is the length of twenty-nine pillars measurements. All in all, construction was completed in 1998. During the period of chaotic upheaval, some thoughtful monks and laypeople put their lives on the line and hid numerous, old sacred objects. These included religious paintings, such as the six ornaments and the two supreme ones painted by Namkha Gyen, and ritual instruments, such as the two types of cymbals. There are a lot of stories one could write concerning these sorts of events, but as it would be too much, I will not write them here. The education system of the monastery provides studies in sūtra and mantra. First, for the general subjects, monks began their education at the newly founded school for Buddhist studies by learning to read and write from basic grammar textbooks beginning with The Children’s Orthography to The Guide to Signs . Later, their instruction consists of [foundational curriculum of] The Classification of Mind , The Classification of Reasons , and The Collected Topics , after which they study the four subjects of Prajñāpāramitā. Pramāṇavārttika ( Commentary on Valid Cognition ) is studied during the winter term and does not have a separate class for it. Those who study the tantra tradition conduct the great approach [of the three-year retreat] and the five hundred thousand accumulations [that make one a] suitable [vessel]. Through all of this, the monastery extensively spreads the teachings of scripture and realization. Additionally, are many other cultural traditions cherished in this monastery, but they are not written here. COLOPHON This brief history is from Drago Monastery’s website .[ 55 ] NOTES [1] hor brag 'go dgon dga' ldan rab brtan rnam rgyal gling, BDRC G3844 [2] lha lung dpal gyi rdo rje, BDRC P6986 [3] ra ma sgang; The four pillars of the soil (sa'i ka bzhi) are the four mountains in the cardinal directions. According to Tibetan geomancy, if a land possesses these four mountains, this is considered to be a fortuitous sign. The four protectors of the land (sa'i srung bzhi) are (1) a whitish-gray tiger in the east, (2) a turquoise dragon in the south, (3) a red bird in the west, and (4) a multicolored turtle in the north. [4] lha ri mchod rdzong smug po; rdo rin bar zing [5] rdza chos rje ngag dbang phun tshogs; ta la'i bla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617–1682, BDRC P37 [6] dpon drin rje tshe bstan nor bu [7] gnang ho la; ngo mtshar rmad byung bkod pa'i gtsug lag khang [8] rnam mkha' rgyan; dkro pa [9] slob dpon mtsho skyes rdo rje [10] The six ornaments are Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Asaṅga, Dignāga, Vasubhandu, and Dharmakīrti. The two supreme ones are Śākyaprahba and Guṇaprabha. [11] grag 'go'i brag rgyab [12] kun tigs dkyil 'khor [13] dkar mdzes sku zhabs 'khrungs sar bla ma blo bzang phun tshogs [ 14] 'jam dbyangs bzhad pa 01 'jam dbyangs bzhad pa'i rdo rje, 1648–1721/1722, BDRC P423 [15] bla brang bkra shis 'khyil, BDRC G162 [16] The text does not specify if this is the east or west Keutsang Hermitage. se ra ke'u tshang ri khrod, BDRC G2509 and BDRC G2511 [17] ke'u tsang blo bzang bstan 'dzin yar gyas; mkar mdzes mkhar shul; tshe brtan; a mtsho [18] 'khrungs sar rdo rje 'chang blo bzang phun tshogs mthu stobs rgya mtsho [19] sku zhabs blo gros phun tshogs; ke'u tshang bla ma dpon slob byams pa smon lam [20] ta la'i bla ma 11 mkhas grub rgya mtsho, 1838–1855, BDRC P255 [21] sgang zhabs [22] thub bstan dpal ldan dge legs rnam rgyal; mi nyag sha pho gshis; a po; tshe ring sgrol ma [23] gzigs rgyab rdo rje 'chang chen po [24] seng ldeng ri khrod bde chen bsam gtan gling; bkra shis nyi 'od 'khyil ba [25] brag dkar sprul pa'i sku blo bzang dpal ldan bstan 'dzin snyan grags [26] brag 'go'i dge thar [27] dga' ldan khri pa 90 byams pa chos grags, 1876–1937, BDRC P5355 ; wa lung [28] 'bras spungs dgon, BDRC G108 ; The five major subjects are Pramāṇavārttika, Pāramitā, Madhyamaka, Vinaya, and Abhidharmakośa. [29] In the Geluk tradition, there are five different kinds of Geshe degrees, of which the Geshe Lharampa is the highest. This degree can be equated to a Ph.D. with honors. [30] rgyu smad grwa tshang, BDRC G394 [31] dga' ldan byang rtse grwa tshang, BDRC G77 [32] dga' ldan dgon, BDRC G337 ; The three spheres ('khor gsum) can be described in many ways as it has a plethora of applications, but here it means body, speech, and mind. [33] 'phags pa shing kun, BDRC G3156 [34] byams pa chos kyi bstan dar [35] sprul sku blo bzang dpal ldan bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan; mkhan po blo bzang dbang phyug; brag 'go'i nor pa [36] tre hor skyor dpon tshe dbang nor bu, 1899–1967, BDRC P9616 ; dkro pa [37] sku zhabs byams pa rin po che; hor gyi bla ma blo bzang [38] bzang ra ri khrod [39] dge bshes mgon po rin chen; brag 'go'i nor ba [40] sku zhabs byams pa thub bsten rin chen; rta'u rdzong, BDRC G2298 ; phur cog byams pa rin po che [41] This brief history of the monastery was written before Kushab Jampa Rinpoche passed away in 2013 at Drepung Monastery in southern India. [42] The Tripiṭaka, or the “three baskets,” is the threefold collection of Buddhist scriptures comprised of Sūtra, Abhidharma, and Vinaya. [43] bzang lung dpal gyi ri khrod; su rgyas [44] ras pa byang chub 'od zer [45] blo bzang tshul khrims bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan; lam brag rdo rje 'chang skal bzang rnam rgyal [46 ] nor 'u khug gi zung 'jug dga ba'i ri khrod; stong skor bla ma 'jam dbyangs dge 'dun rgya mtsho; a mdo bla ma don grub mi yi seng+ge [47] spang nang skyabs mgon zha lu [48] a bla dge bshes ye shes brtson 'grus; mkhar sar bla ma bsod nams bkra shis [49] bzang rwa ri khrod [50] ra gso sgang [51] chos rgyal srong bstan sgam po, 617–650, BDRC P8067 ; Wencheng Kongjo was possibly the daughter of Emperor Taizong’s (598–649) cousin Li Daozong. For further information, see: https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Wencheng-Kongjo/10811 ; ra sa 'phrul snang, BDRC G4261 [52] mgar stong bstan, BDRC P8117 [53] yang 'dul gyi gtsug lag khang [54] khri pa dge bshe a rdor; dge bshes ye shes don 'grub; dbu mdzad 'jam dbyangs; grwa tshang dbu mdzad dgon pa skyabs [55] This website is currently not active due to the Chinese government's internet censorship. Published: February 2022 Edited: November 2023 BIBLIOGRAPHY brag 'go dgon. 2021. brag 'go dgon gyi lo rgyus mdor . London: Tib Shelf I002. Abstract Drago Monastery ( brag 'go dgon ) has its historical roots during the Tibetan empire. History says that Drogo Monastery used to be a Nyingma monastery until it was converted to the Geluk tradition in the 17th century. Currently, it has around 400 to 500 monks, including the monks who are studying at Drepung Losaling Monastery in south India. Being the largest monastery in Drago, it plays a pivotal role in preserving Tibetan culture and spreading the Buddhist teachings. TIB SHELF I002 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 18:07 TRADITION Geluk FOUNDED c. 920 REGION Kardze, Kham ASSOCIATED PEOPLE Lhalung Palgyi Dorje Tri Rinpoche Jampa Chödrak Trehor Kyor Pönpo Rinpoche Tsewang Norbu Wencheng Kongjo Not found on BDRC: Dza Chöje Ngawang Puntsok Tseten Norbu Namkha Gyen Kardze Kushab Trungsar Lama Lobsang Puntsok Keutsang Lobsang Tenzin Yargye Keutsang Choktrul Rinpoche, Tubten Palden Gelek Nyamgyal Dragkar Tulku Lobsang Palden Tenzin Nyendrak Jampa Chökyi Tendar Tulku Lobsang Palden Tenpe Gyaltsen Kushab Jampa Rinpoche Hor Lama Lobsang Geshe Gönpo Rinchen Kushap Jampa Rinchen Gehse Sönam Gönpo Geshe Yeshe Norbu Repa Janchup Öser Lobsang Tsultrim Tenpe Gyaltsen Lamdrak Dorjechang Kalsang Namgyal Tongkor Lama Jamyang Gedun Gyatso Amdo Lama Döndrub Miyi Senge Pangnang Kyabgön Shalupa Ala Geshe Yeshe Tsöndru Kharsar Lama Sönam Tashi Tripa Geshe Ador Geshe Yeshe Döndrub Umdze Jamyang Dratsang Umdze Gönpa Kyab TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Drago Monastery INCARNATION LINES Ke'utsang Dragkar Kushab Jampa Rinpoche AUTHOR Drago Monastery A Brief History of Drago Monastery VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

  • A Brief History of Kyodrak Monastery

    A brief history of Kyodrak Monastery where the successive reincarnations of Tsoknyi Öser reside. It is the main seat of the Barom order, one of the four main divisions of the Kagyü, situated in Dokham. A Brief History of Kyodrak Monastery Om Swasti! From the profound instructions of the incredible Lake Manasarovar Comes the wealth of precious pith instructions endowed with the Enlightened mind; I respectfully bow to those of the Kagyu tradition: Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, and Dakpo [Gampopa], the protectors of beings! KYODRAK MONASTERY: The Universally Abundant Kyodrak Monastery: The Place that Disseminates and Proliferates the Theory and Practice of the Buddhist Teachings [ 1 ] LOCATION OF THE GREAT MONASTIC SEAT OF KYODRAK MONASTERY: Tibet, the Land of Snow, a place exalted like a crown jewel on the top of the Earth, is divided into three regions: Amdo, Central Tibet, and Kham. In Do Kham there is a famous practice site of Guru Pema called The Universally Abundant Kyodrak , which is one of the twenty-five great sacred sites of Do Kham. It is the excellent Akanishta descended upon the Earth, an utterly vast arrangement of implements and seed syllables. That is the location of Kyodrak Monastery. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MONASTERY: In the Iron Bull Year of 1361 in the sixth calendrical cycle of the Tibetan calendar, one of Lha Repa Tsondru Pelwa’s [ 2 ] many disciples, the supreme emanation of Manjushri, Langre Drakpa Gyeltsen, [ 3 ] practiced in the area’s sacred site of the eastern facing Kyoko Cave. [ 4 ] When he had discovered accomplishment in a single life, the primordial wisdom dakini prophesised: “On the palace atop the cliff over there, [ 5 ] is the pollen bed of the enlightened mind of the great, glorious Chakrasamvara. In its centre sits a boulder like a sizeable and majestically poised tiger. Compile the embers of a fire in this essential place! [ 6 ] This important place is like a vigorous striped tiger. The benefit of beings and the teachings will flourish far and wide.” Saying that, the dakini emanated into a fox and stole his shoes. Early the next morning he sought for the tracks [of the dakini] in the fallen snow. There he saw the main cliff of Kyodrak—at its crest was a swirling rainbow tent of the dharmakaya, at its slope was a pleasant rain of blessings, and diffusing across its base was the aromatic fragrance that arises from discipline. Understanding the dependent arisings from having arrived at this place of solitude, he constructed the initial monastic [structure] of Kyodrak. It was at that time that the Mongol King Genghis Khan offered a bronze [ 7 ] statue of the unparalleled Teacher Shakyamuni. He, [Drakpa Gyeltsen], saw that the figure of the Teacher was made of a brilliant mass of rainbow light and stated that this supreme sacred object is equal in blessings to Shakyamuni. Consequently, he made it the central sacred object of the temple. The dependent arisings of that statue are well suited to allow the teachings to abide for a long while and for there to be a continuous stream of beings who understand the teachings and benefit whomever they encounter. The main representational statue of the enlightened mind was an eight-year-old form of the Sixth Dharmakaya Vajradhara [ 8 ] made from a refined gold of high-quality. In the representational statue of the unified enlightened mind are many relics of the buddhas including small pearl-like relics ( ringsel ) of Tilopa Prajnabhadra (988–1069), [ 9 ] small pearl-like relics from the nose blood of Naropa Jnanasiddhi (1012–1100), [ 10 ] a tooth from Marpa Chokyi Lodro (1012–1097) [ 11 ] with a manifested Hevajra, a small pearl-like relic in the shape of a conch shell from the Laughing Vajra Milarepa (1040–1123), [ 12 ] the combined tongue, heart, and eyes of the Youthful Moonlight of Dagpo [Gampopa], and small pearl-like relics from Barom Darma Wangchuk (1127–1194). [ 13 ] After those were put into the representational [statue] of the unified enlightened mind, a ‘rain of flowers’ fells three times and consecrated the sacred place. “In future times, this will be my representative,” he said as the people received his command. Later when the accomplished meditator Marmo [Sonam Dondrup] was young, as he offered prayers, the compassionate eyes [of the statue] looked upon him pensively. Marmo [Sonam Dondrup] was actually able to see its smiling face and nicely arranged white teeth. Blazing with sincere and measureless devotion, he genuinely discovered the realization of the single experience of meditation. Thus, he built a temple and sacred objects. Philosophical System: It adheres to the stainless tradition of the unbroken lineage of the essential meaning of the dharma lords of the Barom Kagyu, one of the four great Kagyu traditions. MAINTENANCE OF THE TEACHINGS: The transmission is maintained firstly by the lineage gurus of the accomplished ones, secondly by the lineage of the Bare [ 14 ] knowledge holders, lastly by the lineage of the emanations of the bodhisattvas. Development: There is the unbroken lineage of accomplished masters inseparable from the great masters and accomplished ones of India who soared like a flock of birds in the sky. They include the Kyodrak dharma lords, [specifically] the thirteen accomplished ones of Barom, who knew how to fly as they had mastered the power over their winds and mind. Their fame has spread far and wide. There are various representations of enlightened body, speech, and mind including the thirteen [sets] of the Translated Words of the Victor written in gold. Up until this point, it has been the history of the development of the precious teachings of the victor at the central peak of Kyodrak, or the main Kyodrak cliff. FOUNDING OF THE MONASTERY IN CENTRAL KYODRAK: In the Wood Dog Year, 1754, of the thirteenth calendrical cycle, Kyodrak Tsoknyi Ozer (b. 1737) [ 15 ] received the complete instructions of the abiding nature from Nedo Dechen. [ 16 ] Then he went on pilgrimage to U in [central Tibet] and met Karmapa Dudul Dorje (1733/34–1797/98) [ 17 ] who had decided that Tsoknyi Ozer was the reincarnated emanation of Choje Lingpa (1682–1720) [ 18 ] and bestowed him the name Tsoknyi Ozer and all of the instructions. “Since your benefit to beings is in Kyodrak,” the Karmapa prophesised, “you must go there and be of service. In the future you will be of great help for the Barom teachings.” Accordingly he travelled to his homeland. He received all the instructions of the liberative methods from Selje Chogrub Senge. Before that time as there had only been black yak-haired tents at Kyodrak, he [ Tsoknyi Ozer ] built Pur Khang Fort [ 19 ] in 1779. There he conducted meditational practices, rituals, and offerings. In the thirteenth calendrical cycle of the Wood Dog Year, 1785, Tsoknyi Ozer constructed Kyodrak Monastery’s new assembly hall along with its sacred objects. His enlightened activities flourished and spread: He established the tradition of Choje Lingpa’s revealed treasure teachings, becoming the object of worship for the people of China, Tibet, and Mongolia. He [built] innumerable and priceless representations of the enlightened body, speech, and mind and established retreat centres at numerous hermitages. In brief, he extensively spread and proliferated the teachings of both theory and practice, such as the dances, mask dances, and melodies, following the traditions of the previous knowledge holders. DESTRUCTION: During the Cultural Revolution, the sacred objects and the immeasurable mansion of this monastery were destroyed, falling into ruin just like the other monasteries. Only its name had remained. RESTORATION: Relying upon the marvellous armour of the aspirations of the Eighth Dungtrul Rinpoche, the Ninth Selga Rinpoche, the emanation Aten Puntsok, the elder guru Yeshe Rabgye, the emanation Tsoknyi Ozer , Chadrel Tsultrim Tarchin, Khenpo Damcho Dawa, Khenpo Jikga, the accomplished guru Tashi Namgyel, and Lopon Tsering Gyurme, the abbots, emanations, and the sangha newly constructed the assembly hall along with the sacred objects even more elaborately than before. In the main monastic seat [of Kyodrak Monastery] are the following: Barom’s Immutable and Spontaneously Established Temple, a college for the theories of the excellent teachings, the retreat centre for spontaneously accomplishing the two benefits, a tantric college for teaching the three vehicles in the lineage tradition of Marpa, a medical college to bring love and benefit to all, the Dzamo retreat centre, the Kechara nunnery of great bliss, the Lotus Stem retreat centre of enlightenment, Barom’s practice centre of the blissful and secret mantra, Victor Gyam’s Avalokiteśvara practice centre, the practice centre of all knowledge, Narong’s practice centre of the luminosity of great bliss, and Khongne practice centre of auspicious liberation. As for the minor temples that are always in use there are the new protectors’ temple, the Vajrakila meditation centre, the Lion-Faced centre, the Lotus Vajra centre, the longevity centre, the Dorje Drolo centre, and the Three Blissful Seals centre. Each year there are gatherings including a great accomplishment ceremony of the peaceful practices, enlightened heart practices, vase practices, longevity practices, practices for the tenth day, practices for all greater and lesser days, Barom’s grand prayer festival, and Barom’s ritual offerings for the deceased. Their corresponding sacred objects, dances, chants, and melodies are better than before. The monastery and its affiliated institutions have around two-thousand monastics [in total]. Furthermore, for the benefit of the entire district, there is the Precious Pleasant Grove School: The Source of Qualities for the orphans separated from the care of their parents, a nursing home for those separated from their loving children, a thrift store for those who are not able to conduct business, a hospital of both Chinese and Tibetan medicine with reduced costs of treatments for the destitute and sick, and so forth. In brief, it is an extraordinary place for maturing the beings and the teachings. ASPIRATION: May all the mountains be filled flock of meditators! May all textual traditions be enriched with scholars! May the teachings of the victorious Barom, the beautiful and conquering teachings Of the two wheels of meditators and scholars, flourish! COLOPHON Composed collectively by those at Kyodrak Monastery. NOTES [1] skyo brag spyi 'byams phun tshogs thub bstan bshad sgrub dar rgyas gling [2] lha res pa brtson 'grus dpal ba [3] mchog tu gyur pa 'jam dbyangs rnam 'phrul glang ras grags pa rgyal mtshan [4] skyo kho nyin phug [5] ya ki brag [6] This means to construct a new monastery at this location. [7] zi khyim [8] This is the Vajradhara of the sixth buddha family from which the other five families emanate. [9] ti lo pa [10] nA ro pa, BDRC P3085 [11] mar pa chos kyi blo gros, BDRC P2636 [12] mi la res pa bzhad pa'i rdo rje, BDRC P1853 [13] 'ba' rom pa dar ma dbang phyug, BDRC P1856 [14] 'bar re [15] skyo brag tshog gnyis 'od zer [16] gnas mdo bde chen [17] karma pa 13 bdud 'dul rdo rje, BDRC P828 [18] chos rje gling pa, BDRC P671 [19] phur khang BIBLIOGRAPHY Skyo brag dgon pa. 2021. Skyo brag dgon pa'i gsal bshad mdor bsuds . London: Tib Shelf I001 Abstract A brief history of Kyodrak Monastery where the successive reincarnations of Tsoknyi Öser reside. It is the main seat of the Barom order, one of the four main divisions of Kagyu, situated in Dokham. TIB SHELF I001 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Kagyu FOUNDED 1361 REGION Do Kham ASSOCIATED PEOPLE Kyodrak Tsoknyi Ozer Langre Drakpa Gyeltsen Marmo Sonam Dondrup The Eighth Dungtrul Rinpoche The Ninth Selga Rinpoche Tulku Aten Puntsok Guru Yeshe Rabgye Chadrel Tsultrim Tarchin Khenpo Damcho Dawa Khenpo Jikga Guru Tashi Namgyel Lopon Tsering Gyurme TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION N/A INCARNATION LINES Tsoknyi Ozer AUTHOR Kyodrak Monastery A Brief History of Kyodrak Monastery VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

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