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- Tibetan Studies Research Tool | Tib Shelf
Search curated Tibetan studies research resources including biographies, translations, primary texts, journals, books, and Himalayan art. SEARCH TIPS Use specific names, titles, or topics for best results. Examples Jetsun Milarepa biography Pemako pilgrimage Dzogchen teachings You can also search using Wylie transliteration. Examples bka' 'gyur mi la ras pa padma 'byung gnas To search for exact titles, place the phrase in quotation marks. Example "The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa" You can combine terms to narrow results. Example "Zhepe Dorje" AND Pemako Refining your results Use the labels above the search results to filter by type of source — for example Reference (articles and encyclopedic entries), Translations , Primary Texts , Journals , Books , and Art . Start your search Search for people, places, texts, traditions, or topics to discover links to trusted Tibetan and Himalayan research resources. See Tibetan Dictionaries Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications People Listen Watch Tibetan & Himalayan Research Resources Search open-access resources on Tibetan and Himalayan history, religion, culture, and art. This tool brings together a curated selection of trusted sources, making it easy to explore people, places, traditions, lineages, texts, and artworks across multiple research platforms such as Treasury of Lives, Lotsawa House, BDRC, and Himalayan Art Resources, among many others. Results can also be refined by type of source, including reference articles, translations, primary texts, academic journals, books, and collections of Tibetan and Himalayan art.
- A Brief History of Kyodrak Monastery
A brief history of Kyodrak Monastery, the principal seat of the Barom Kagyu in Dokham and residence of the successive incarnations of Tsoknyi Öser. The narrative includes the monastery’s legendary founding in 1361, when a primordial wisdom ḍākinī—appearing as a fox that stole the master’s shoes—revealed the sacred site where the monastery would be built. 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, the principal seat of the Barom Kagyu in Dokham and residence of the successive incarnations of Tsoknyi Öser. The narrative includes the monastery’s legendary founding in 1361, when a primordial wisdom ḍākinī—appearing as a fox that stole the master’s shoes—revealed the sacred site where the monastery would be built. 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 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.
- Kunga Palden | Tib Shelf
Teacher Kunga Palden 1878–1944/1950 BDRC P6963 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE Kunga Palden was a yogin of the twentieth century who lived in the vicinity of Dzogchen Monastery. He was a close disciple of Orgyen Tenzin Norbu, who in turn was a student of Patrul Rinpoche. Kunga Palden spent much of his life in retreat and was particularly devoted to The Guru’s Inner Essence (Lama Yangtik) as well as the practices involving the channels, vital energies, vital essences, and physical yogas associated with the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse (Longchen Nyingtik). He received teachings on Lama Yangtik, Longchen Nyingtik, and the physical yogas from Orgyen Tenzin Norbu, and was taught the practices of the channels, energies, and essences by Pema Tegchok Loden. Translated Works Biography Mura Pema Dechen Zangpo Tenzin Lungtok Nyima A genealogy of the Mura lineage through its incarnations, focusing on the Third Mura Pema Dechen's life, teachings, and key relationships, penned by Tenzin Lungtok Nyima. Read Biography The Biography of Dzogchen Khenchen Abu Lhagang Khenpo Tsöndru Khenpo Tsöndru chronicles his teacher Pema Tegchok Loden (1879–1955), from his studies with renowned masters to his role as Dzogchen Śrī Siṃha's abbot, culminating in solitary meditation practice. Read Biography The Wondrous Light of Lunar Nectar Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor chronicles the life of Chatral Kunga Palden (1878-1944) in this luminous biographical account. Read Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen
- Arousing Desire of the Beautiful One: Simile and Meaning in Union
A spontaneous karmamudra song by the yogin Śākya Śrī, uniting longing for his consort Namkha Dronma with direct recognition of rigpa. Arousing Desire of the Beautiful One: Simile and Meaning in Union Aho! Within the hollow of the all-ground mind, The absolute Guru—self-aware wisdom— Has always abided, inseparable. Yet, due to the clouds of innate ignorance, Direct perception remains obscured. Unseen. Through Ati, the profound and secret sovereign, The essence of the supreme secret path, All accumulated obscurations are purified. The naked true nature of aware-emptiness Has been directly realised! O hosts of obscurations, ignorance and afflictions, Now, do whatever you please! At the gateway of these bright little eyes, The beautiful one, lovely as a divine flower, Has spun the magical wheel of illusion. Within this mind of unbearable torment, She dwells continually, never apart. You, trunk of the wish-fulfilling tree, Embrace my body as much as you can. For three days, I ask for nothing more. After that, do whatever you please! From the very tip of the divine juniper tree, The divine bird, the blue cuckoo, Sings its sweet, melodious trills. The great river’s roiling waves Fill the three-thousandfold universe with their natural sound. Do not obscure this melodious voice— Hold your tongues for three days. We, master yogi and disciple, Will joyfully roam wherever we please, In the trackless realms of the world! From the very centre of my heart, A piercing torment wells up within, Stirred by heartache and passion For my sweetheart, Namkha Dronma. When my mind was utterly captivated by you, I was subjected to malicious gossip and slander— For three days, voice neither praise nor blame, After that, do whatever you please! These appearances, grasped as real, Are realised as dreamlike illusion. We, heroes of unshakeable conviction, Will set forth into the expanse of Great Bliss! COLOPHON This too was written at Shelphug Chushing Dzong, prompted by the beautiful heart-jewel. Penned by Śākya Śrī exactly as it freely arose in his mind. NOTES None BIBLIOGRAPHY Kathog Situ Chökyi Gyatso. Togden Shakya Shri: The Life and Liberation of a Tibetan Yogin. Translated and compiled by Elio Guarisco. 2nd ed. Arcidosso, Italy: Shang Shung Edizioni, 2011. Togden Shakya Shri (rTogs ldan shākya shrī). gSung ʼbum shākya shrī. 1 vols. Kathmandu: Khenpo Shedup Tenzin And Lama Thinley Namgyal, 1998. pp.703-704. BDRC MW23563 . Abstract This song (mgur) , composed spontaneously at Shelphug Chushing Dzong, arose directly in response to the mockery and censure that greeted Śākya Śrī's decision to take a consort. Moving fluidly between Dzogchen proclamation and intimate karmamudra (las kyi phyag rgya) longing for his consort Namkha Dronma. Its recurring refrain— do whatever you please —is both a statement of unconditional realisation and a pointed rejoinder to those who would police the path of a siddha. Śākya Śrī (1853–1919) never founded a monastery, living instead in caves and tents far from institutional Buddhism; this song carries the full weight of that chosen freedom. BDRC MW23563 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma Kagyu INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century 19th Century TEACHERS Mipam Gyatso Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye bstan pa'i nyi ma pad+ma dri med 'od zer ye shes snang ba TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Dzogchen Monastery Swayambhunath Boudha Stupa Drugu Gon Namo Buddha STUDENTS kun lha bstan 'dzin bsod nams rgyal mtshan bsod nams bzang po Lama Monlam Rabzang Ngawang Tenzin Gyatso The Tenth Drukchen, Mipam Chokyi Wangpo Tokden Orgyen Tenzin Tersey Tulku Pelling Ani Wangdzin AUTHOR Śākya Śrī Arousing Desire of the Beautiful One: Simile and Meaning in Union VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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 Hook Which Invokes Blessings: A Supplication to the Life and Liberation of Knowledge-Holder Jalu Dorje
A self-penned biographical prayer by Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, composed at the request of Trokyab's king Namkha Lhündrub, invoking blessings through life stories. The Hook Which Invokes Blessings: A Supplication to the Life and Liberation of Knowledge-Holder Jalu Dorje ཨེ་མ་ཧོ། emaho Emaho! གདོད་མའི་མགོན་པོ་ཀུན་བཟང་འོད་མི་འགྱུར།། dömé gönpo kunzang ö mingyur The Primordial Protector, Samantabhadra, the Buddha of Unchanging Light, རྩལ་སྣང་ཡེ་ཤེས་རིགས་ལྔའི་ཚོམ་བུ་ཤར།། tsalnang yeshe rik ngé tsombu shar Who arises as the appearing-radiance of the gathering of the five wisdoms; ཐུགས་རྗེས་གར་བསྒྱུར་འགྲོ་འདུལ་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ།། tukjé gar gyur drodul trulpé ku Transforming into the dance of compassion, the nirmāṇakāya that tames beings སྐུ་གསུམ་དབྱེར་མེད་མགོན་པོ་ཚེ་མཐའ་ཡས།། ku sum yermé gönpo tsé tayé And is indivisible from the three kayas, Lord Amitāyus, སྙིང་རྗེའི་རང་གཟུགས་འཕགས་མཆོག་པད་དཀར་འཆང་།། nyingjé rang zuk pakchok pekar chang The embodiment of compassion, noble and supreme Holder of the White Lotus (Avalokiteśvara), འགྲོ་ངོར་སྣང་བ་མཚོ་སྐྱེས་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ།། dro ngor nangwa tsokyé trulpé ku The Lake-Born nirmāṇakāya (Padmasambhava), who appears in response to beings, རིགས་བདག་རྡོར་སེམས་དགའ་རབ་དཔའ་བོ་དང་།། rikdak dorsem garab pawo dang Lord of the Family, Vajrasattva, hero Garab Dorje, དབྱེར་མེད་ཐོད་ཕྲེང་རྩལ་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས།། yermé tötreng tsal la solwa deb And the inseparable Guru Tötrengtsal, I supplicate. གང་ཁྱོད་གདོང་དམར་བོད་ཀྱི་གདུལ་བའི་དོན།། gang khyö dong mar bö kyi dulwé dön For the sake of those to be tamed, the red-faced Tibetans, མཐའ་དབུས་ཐམས་ཅད་གཏེར་གྱིས་བཀང་ནས་ཀྱང་།། ta ü tamché ter gyi kang né kyang You filled the whole of Tibet from center to its borders with treasures. གང་དང་ཐུགས་སྲས་རྗེ་འབངས་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ།། gang dang tuksé jebang trulpé ku I supplicate you and your emanated heart-disciples, the king and subjects, ཟབ་གཏེར་སྒོ་འབྱེད་ཚོགས་ལ་གསོལ༴ zabter gojé tsok la solwa deb Who opened the gateway to those profound treasures. དེང་དུས་ལྔ་ཕྲག་ཐ་མའི་སེམས་ཅན་ཀུན།། dengdü nga trak tamé semchen kün Currently, unbearable suffering is greatly increasing བཟོད་དཀའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ཆེས་ཆེར་མཆེད་པའི་ཚེ།། zö ké dukngal ché cher chepé tsé For all sentient beings of the final five-hundred-year period. དྲི་མེད་དགའ་རབ་པད་འབྱུང་བཱི་མ་ལའི།། drimé garab pejung bi ma lé During this time, I supplicate the supreme, single-embodied emanation སྤྲུལ་པ་གཅིག་བསྡུས་མཆོག་དེར་གསོལ༴ trulpa chikdü chok der solwa deb Of Drimé Özer, Garab Dorje, Padmasambhava, and Vimalamitra. ལྷུམས་སུ་ཞུགས་ནས་ཏིང་འཛིན་མི་གཡོ་ཞིང་།། lhum su shuk né tingdzin mi yo shing You entered the womb never wavering from samādhi. བཙས་པའི་ཞག་གསུམ་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་ཚོགས་གྲལ་འགྲིམས།། tsepé shak sum khandrö tsokdral drim Three days after your birth, you roamed among the assembly of ḍākinīs, ཟླ་བཅུའི་དུས་སུ་མཁའ་འགྲོས་དབང་བསྐུར་བའི།། da chü dü su khandrö wangkurwé And when you were ten months old, you received empowerment from them— རང་བྱུང་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ་ལ་གསོལ༴ rangjung trulpé ku la solwa deb I supplicate the naturally arisen nirmāṇakāya. བགྲང་བྱ་གསུམ་ནས་དཔལ་རི་རིག་འཛིན་ཞིང་།། drangja sum né palri rigdzin shing At the age of the two, in Zangdok Palri (the Copper-Coloured Mountain), the realm of the knowledge-holders, སྤྲུལ་གཞིར་མཇལ་ནས་དབང་བསྐུར་བྱིན་གྱི་བརླབས།། trulshir jal né wangkur jin gyi lab You beheld the prominent nirmāṇakāya who conferred empowerment and blessings upon you— དཔའ་བོ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་རིགས་ལྡན་ཚོགས་ཀུན་གྱིས།། pawo khandro rikden tsok kün gyi I supplicate the one who is always watched over མེལ་ཚེས་རྟག་ཏུ་བསྐྱངས་དེར་གསོལ༴ meltsé taktu kyang der solwa deb By the heroes and ḍākinīs of all the noble families. སྔོན་གནས་རྗེས་དྲན་རིགས་བདག་བླ་མ་བཙལ།། ngön né jedren rikdak lama tsal Recalling your previous lives, you searched for your guru, the Lord of the Family, [ 1 ] ཐུགས་རྗེས་རྗེས་བཟུང་བདུད་ཀྱི་གཡུལ་ལས་རྒྱལ།། tukjé jezung dü kyi yul lé gyal Who lovingly and compassionately accepted you [as a disciple]. ཆོས་ཀྱི་བདག་པོ་རིགས་ཀྱི་མྱུ་གུ་བཙས།། chö kyi dakpo rik kyi nyugu tsé Victorious over the hordes of demons, your potential as a Dharma lord was brought forth— རྟེན་འབྲེལ་དུས་སུ་སྨིན་དེར་གསོལ༴ tendrel dü su min der solwa deb I supplicate the one whose auspicious connections ripened on time. གཞོན་ནུའི་དུས་ནས་ངེས་འབྱུང་སྐྱོ་ཤས་ཀྱིས།། shönnü dü né ngejung kyoshé kyi From a young age, with the sadness born from renunciation, རྒྱུད་བསྐུལ་ཉིན་སྣང་རྨི་ལམ་སྒྱུ་མ་དང་།། gyü kul nyin nang milam gyuma dang You continuously saw daily appearances as an illusory dream, མཚན ་སྣང་སྐུ་དང་འཇའ་ཟེར་ཐིག་ལེ་འདྲེས།། tsen nang ku dang jazer tiklé dré And at night you mingled the kāyas and the spheres of rainbow light— སྔོན་ལས་དུས་སུ་སྨིན་དེར་གསོལ༴ ngön lé dü su min der solwa deb I supplicate the one whose previous karma ripened on time. བཅུ་གསུམ་ལོན་ནས་བསྐྱེད་རྫོགས་ལམ་དུ་ཞུགས།། chusum lön né kyedzok lam du shuk When you reached twelve, you entered the path of creation and completion [stage practices]. ཉིན་དུས་རིགས་བདག་བླ་མའི་ཞལ་ཁྲིད་དང་།། nyin dü rikdak lamé shal tri dang During the day, you received oral instructions of the guru, the Lord of the Family, མཚན་སྣང་དཔའ་བོ་ཌཱཀྐིས་བརྡ་སྤྲོད་པས།། tsen nang pawo daki datröpé And during the night the heroes and ḍākinīs symbolically transmitted [the teachings] ས་ལམ་སྐད་ཅིག་བསྒྲོད་དེར་གསོལ༴ salam kechik drö der solwa deb By which you traversed the stages and paths in an instant—I supplicate you. བཅོ་ལྔ་ལོན་ནས་གཏེར་གྱི་ཁ་བྱང་ཐོབ།། cho nga lön né ter gyi kha jang tob When you reached fourteen, you obtained an inventory of treasures. བླ་མའི་ཐུགས་བསྐྱེད་ཨོ་རྒྱན་བྱིན་རླབས་ཀྱིས།། lamé tukkyé orgyen jinlab kyi By the compassion of the guru and the blessings of Orgyen [Guru Rinpoche], ས་གཏེར་དགོངས་པའི་གཏེར་དུ་དབང་བསྒྱུར་ནས།། sa ter gongpé ter du wanggyur né You had the authority over earth and wisdom-mind treasures— མཁའ་འགྲོའི་གསང་མཛོད་དབང་དེར་གསོལ༴ khandrö sangdzö wang der solwa deb I supplicate the one who has the command of the secret ḍākinī treasury. ཉི་ཤུ་ལོན་ནས་སྨིན་གྲོལ་བསྐྱེད་རྫོགས་ལ།། nyishu lön né mindrol kyedzok la When you reached nineteen, having mastered the creation and completion phases of maturation and liberation, མངའ་བརྙེས་རིགས་བདག་གནང་བ་ཐོབ་ནས་སླར།། nga nyé rikdak nangwa tob né lar You obtained permission from the Lord of the Family. དཔའ་བོ་མཁའ་འགྲོས་ལུང་བསྟན་ཇི་བཞིན་དུ།། pawo khandrö lungten jishin du Once again, in keeping with the prophecy of the heroes and ḍākinīs, རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྤྱོད་པ་བསྐྱངས་དེར་གསོལ༴ naljor chöpa kyang der solwa deb You maintained the yogic observances—I supplicate you. བླ་མ་ཡི་དམ་དངོས་གྲུབ་མཆོག་བརྙེས་ཞིང་།། lama yidam ngödrub chok nyé shing You attained the supreme accomplishment of the guru and deity བསྙེན་སྒྲུབ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་བསྲེག་མནན་འཕེན་པ་ཡིས།། nyendrub tarchin sek nen penpa yi And defeated the attacks of unruly demons by completing the approach and accomplishment [stages of deity practice], མ་རུང་བདུད་ཀྱི་གཡུལ་ངོ་ཕམ་མཛད་པའི།། ma rung dü kyi yulngo pam dzepé And by burning, suppressing, and casting away [as found in those practices]— ཡེ་ཤེས་རོལ་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེར་གསོལ༴ yeshe rolpé dorjér solwa deb I supplicate you, Yeshe Rölpe Dorje ("Vajra of the Display of Primordial Wisdom"). བསྐྱེད་རིམ་ཕྱག་རྒྱ་ཕྲ་བའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་བརྙེས།། kyerim chakgya trawé naljor nyé You obtained the subtle, yogic mudrā of the creation stage, རྫོགས་རིམ་རྟགས་བཅུ་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་རུ་ཕྱིན།། dzokrim tak chu yönten ta ru chin Perfected the qualities of the ten signs of the completion stage, དྭངས་མའི་ཐིག་ལེ་ཨ་ཝ་དྷུ་ཏིར་བཅིང་།། dangmé tiklé a wa dhu tir ching And held the pure vital-essence in the central channel— གྲུབ་བརྙེས་རིག་འཛིན་མཆོག་དེར་གསོལ༴ drub nyé rigdzin chok der solwa deb I supplicate the supreme and accomplished knowledge-holder. ཁྲེགས་ཆོད་སྣང་སེམས་འདྲེས་ཤིང་གཟུང་འཛ ིན་ཞིག། trekchö nang sem dré shing zungdzin shik By the [practice] of cutting-through ( trekchö ), you mixed appearances and mind, thus destroying subject-object grasping. དབའ་རླབས་ལ་བརྟེན་འབྲས་བུའི་དེ་ཉིད་མཐོང་།། walab la ten drebü denyi tong Relying on the [energy] waves, you beheld the resulting suchness. ཐོད་རྒལ་ཉམས་སྣང་གོང་འཕེལ་མཐའ་ རྫོགས་པའི།། tögal nyam nang gongpel ta dzokpé Through the [practice] of leaping-over ( togal ), the experiences and visions were increased to their perfect culmination— འཁྲུལ་ཞིག་འཇའ་ལུས་རྡོ་རྗེར་གསོལ༴ trulshik jalü dorjér solwa deb I supplicate Trulzhik Jalu Dorje ("Indestructible Rainbow Body that Dismantles Delusion"). རྨི་ལམ་འོད་གསལ་ཉམས་ཀྱི་ སྣང་བ་ལ།། milam ösal nyam kyi nangwa la In the experiential appearances of the clear light of dreams, བདེ་བྱེད་བརྩེགས་དང་མཁའ་སྤྱོད་ས་སྤྱོད་གནས།། dé jé tsek dang khachö sachö né You abided in the Tiers of Bliss and other celestial and terrestrial realms. རིག་འཛིན་དཔའ་བོ་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་ཚོགས་གྲལ་འགྲིམས།། rigdzin pawo kha drötsok dral drim You roamed among the assembly of knowledge-holders, heroes, and ḍākinīs— ཁྲག་འཐུང་དཔའ་བོའི་ཞབས་ལ་གསོལ༴ traktung pawö shab la solwa deb I supplicate at the feet of Tragtung Pawo ("Blood Drinking Hero"). ཐ་སྙད་ཤེས་བྱའི་གནས་ལ་མ་སྦྱང་ཡང་།། tanyé shejé né la ma jang yang Although you did not study the conventional fields of knowledge, ལྷན་སྐྱེས་ཡེ་ཤེས་བདེ་བ་ཆེན་པོ་ཡིས།། lhenkyé yeshe dewa chenpo yi You completely unraveled the cakra of the Wheel of Enjoyment ལོངས་སྤྱོད་འཁོར་ལོའི་རྩ་འཁོར་ཡོངས་ཞིག་པའི།། longchö khorlö tsakhor yong shikpé By the great bliss of the innate, primordial wisdom— བདེ་བའི་རྡ་རྗེ་དཔལ་དེར་གསོལ༴ dewé da jé pal der solwa deb I supplicate Dewai Dorje Pal ("Glorious, Blissful Vajra"). ངོ་བོ་ཆོས་སྐུའི་རྒྱལ་སར་མངའ་བརྙེས་ཀྱང་།། ngowo chökü gyalsar nga nyé kyang You seized the royal seat of the essential dharmakāya; མ་དག་འགྲོ་བའི་ལོས་བློ་མཐུན་སྣང་དང་།། ma dak drowé lö lo tün nang dang Still, you performed deeds to tame impure beings འཚམས་པར་གང་ལ་གང་འདུལ་དོན་མཛད་པའི།། tsampar gang la gang dul dön dzepé According to their devotion, intelligence, and common perceptions— མཐུ་སྟོབས་དཔའ་བོའི་ཞབས་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས།། tutob pawö shab la solwa deb I supplicate at the feet of Tutob Pawo ("Hero of Power and Strength"). ཡང་གསང་ལུས་མེད་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་ཐུགས་ཐིག་ཆོས།། yangsang lümé khandrö tuk tik chö To benefit the fortunate ones of the highest capacity, མན་ངག་སྙན་བརྒྱུད་ཡི་གེ་མོད་པའི་སྐོར།། mengak nyengyü yigé möpé kor You properly taught the cycle without letters, the pith instructions of the hearing lineage, དབང་རབ་སྐལ་ལྡན་དོན་དུ་ལེགས་བསྟན་ནས།། wang rab kalden döndu lek ten né The doctrine of The Extremely Secret Enlightened Heart-Essence of the Formless Ḍākinīs [ 2 ] — འཇའ་ལུས་འོད་སྐུའི་ལམ་སྟོན་ལ་གསོལ༴ jalü ökü lam tön la solwa deb I supplicate the teacher of the path of the rainbow body of light. གཟུགས་ཅན་གཟུགས་མེད་འགྲོ་བ་མཐའ་དག་ཀུན།། zukchen zukmé drowa tadak kün With great love and compassion, you held limitless beings, བྱམས་དང་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོས་རྗེས་བཟུང་ནས།། jam dang nyingjé chenpö jezung né Both those with form and those without form, དངོས་སམ་བརྒྱུད་ནས་སྨིན་གྲོལ་སྒོར་བཅུག་ཅིང་།། ngö sam gyü né mindrol gor chuk ching And, directly and indirectly, ushered them through the gates of maturation and liberation— བཙན་ཐབས་རྫོགས་སངས་རྒྱས་མཛད་ལ་གསོལ༴ tsentab dzoksang gyé dzé la solwa deb I supplicate the one who enacts the robust deeds of a perfected buddha. བདག་སོགས་ཁྱེད་ཀྱི་གདུལ་བྱར་གྱུར་པ་རྣམས།། dak sok khyé kyi duljar gyurpa nam We who have become your disciples ལས་ཉོན་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དྲག་པོའི་མུན་འཐུམས་ཤིང་།། lé nyön dukngal drakpö mün tum shing Are enveloped in the darkness of the intense sufferings of karma and afflictions. ཁྱོད་ཀྱི་གསང་གསུམ་གཏིང་དཔག་དཀའ་བ་ཡི།། khyö kyi sang sum ting pak kawa yi We are blind to the qualities of your three secrets, so difficult to fathom, ཡོན་ཏན་ལྟ་བའི་འདྲེན་བྱེད་ཅེ་རེ་ལོངས།། yönten tawé dren jé ché ré long And the view that would guide us. ལས་ངན་དབང་གིས་ཐེ་ཚོམ་ལོག་ལྟ་འཁྲུ གས།། lé ngen wang gi tetsom lokta truk By the power of negative karma, we are conflicted with doubt and wrong views ལོག་སྨོན་བདུད་ཀྱི་སྡེ་ཚོགས་དབང་ཤོར་ཞིང་།། lok mön dü kyi dé tsok wang shor shing And overpowered by the demonic masses of wrong aspirations. རྩ་བ་ཡན་ལག་དམ་ཚིག་ཉམས་འགལ་རལ།། tsawa yenlak damtsik nyam gal ral Our root and branch samayas have deteriorated, been transgressed, and torn apart. གཏིང་ནས་འགྱོད་པ་དྲག་པོས་བཟོད་པར་གསོལ།། tingné gyöpa drakpö zöpar sol With fervent, heartfelt regret, we pray for forgiveness. རྨོངས་དང་མཉམ་འགྲོགས་དབང་ཤོར་ལོག་པར་བལྟས།། mong dang nyam drok wang shor lokpar té Influenced by ignorance and its close friend, wrong views, གཤེ་ཞིང་སྐུར་པ་འདེབས་དང་དད་མེད་ཀྱི།། shé shing kurpa deb dang demé kyi I have abused and slandered, སྣང་ངོར་བསམ་བཞིན་མ་དག་ཚུལ་བསྟན་ནས།། nang ngor samshin ma dak tsul ten né And intentionally demonstrated impure behavior in the presence of those without faith. ཐེ་ཚོམ་བསྐྱེད་ཅིང་ངན་འབྲེལ་གྱིས་སྡུད་པའི།། tetsom kyé ching ngen drel gyi düpé I have given rise to doubt and have amassed negative connections, གཏིང་དཔག་དཀའ་བའི་དགོངས་པ་མ་རྟོགས་ཤིང་།། ting pak kawé gongpa ma tok shing And because of this, I have not realized your unfathomable and all-subsuming enlightened mind. བཀའ་འགལ ་ཐུགས་དཀྲུགས་ཐུགས་སུན་སྐྱོན་བརྗོད་ཅིང་།། ka gal tuk truk tuk sün kyön jö ching I have opposed your command, upset and disturbed your mind, proclaimed faults, ཅི་མཛད་ལེགས་མཐོང་དག་སྣང་འགྲིབ་གྱུར་པ།། chi dzé lek tong daknang drib gyurpa And have diminished my pure perception that sees all that the master does as good. ཡོན་ཏན་རྗེས་སུ་དྲན་པས་བཟོད་པར་གསོལ།། yönten jesu drenpé zöpar sol By remembering your qualities, I pray for forgiveness. བླ་མའི་ཐུགས་རྒྱུད་དགོངས་པའི་བྱིན་རླབས་འཕོས།། lamé tukgyü gongpé jinlab pö Now, by the blessings transferred from the wisdom-mind of the guru, ད་ནི་ལས་ངན་བག་ཆགས་སྲབ་གྱུར་པས།། dani lé ngen bakchak sab gyurpé My negative karma and habitual tendencies are diminished. ལོག་པར་མི་རྟོག་སྙིང་ནས་དམ་བཅའ་འཛིན།། lokpar mi tok nying né damcha dzin Thus, from my heart, I vow not to hold onto wrong concepts, བརྩེ་བ་ཆེན་པོས་རྗེས་སུ་བཟུང་དུ་གསོལ།། tsewa chenpö jesu zung du sol And I pray you lovingly hold me close. མགོན་ཁྱོད་ཡོན་ཏན་གབ་ཅིང་སྐྱོན་སྟོན་པས།། gön khyö yönten gab ching kyön tönpé Protector, you hide your qualities and display faults, མ་དག་སེམས་ཅན་མགོ་བོ་རྨོངས་གྱུར་ཅིང་།། ma dak semchen gowo mong gyur ching So that we impure sentient beings are fooled. ལས་སྐལ་ལྡན་པའང་ཐེ་ཚོམ་དབང་གྱུར་ཕྱིར།། lekal denpa ang tetsom wang gyur chir For the karmically fortunate beings under the sway of doubt, གཏིང་དཔག་དཀའ་བའི་ཡོན་ཏན་བསྟན་དུ་གསོལ།། ting pak kawé yönten ten du sol Please reveal your unfathomable qualities. རྡོ་རྗེའི་སྐུ་ལ་བགྲེས་རྒུད་མི་མངའ་ཡང་།། dorjé ku la dré gü mi nga yang The vajra body is not subject to decay or decline; སྐུ་ཚེ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་འགྲོ་དོན་ཡོངས་རྫོགས་ཤིང་།། kutsé tarchin dro dön yongdzok shing Yet I pray that your life reaches its fullest extent so that you fully accomplish the benefit of beings; ད་དུང་འཁོར་བའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་མ་སྟོངས་བར།། dadung khorwé jikten matongwar And thereafter, until cyclic existence is emptied, སྣ་ཚོགས་སྤྲུལ་པས་འགྲོ་དོན་མཛད་དུ་གསོལ།། natsok trulpé dro dön dzé du sol Please act to benefit beings through a myriad of emanations. རྩེ་གཅིག་གསོལ་བ་བཏབ་པའི་འབྲས་བུ་ཡིས།། tsechik solwa tabpé drebu yi By the fruit of this one-pointed supplication, ཞབས་ཏོག་མཐར་ཕྱིན་འགྲོ་དོན་ཡོངས་རྫོགས་ནས།། shabtok tarchin dro dön yongdzok né May I perfectly serve you and fully benefit beings. ཟག་པ་བག་ཆགས་བཅས་པ་ཡོངས་ཟད་ཅིང་།། zakpa bakchak chepa yong zé ching Having done so, may the defilements and habitual tendencies be completely exhausted; སྣང་བཞི་མཐར་ཕྱིན་འཇའ་ལུས་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤོག། nang shi tarchin jalü drubpar shok May I perfect the four visions and attain the rainbow body! དགེ་བས་འགྲོ་ཀུན་སྡུག་བསྔལ་མཚོ་སྐེམས་ནས།། gewé dro kün dukngal tso kem né By this virtue, may sentient beings’ ocean of suffering dry up. བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་རང་རིག་ངོ་ཤེས་ཤིང་།། deshek nyingpo rangrig ngoshé shing May they recognize the reflexive awareness, the essence of the sugata. སྟོང་ཉིད་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་ཀྱི་འབྲས་སྨིན་ནས།། tongnyi changchub sem kyi dré min né May the fruit of emptiness-bodhicitta ripen! སྐུ་གསུམ་རྒྱལ་བའི་ཞིང་དུ་དབུགས་དབྱུང་ཤོག། ku sum gyalwé shing du ukyung shok May they be assured in the realms of the victors of the three kāyas! COLOPHON ཅེས་པའང་ཁྲོ་ཆེན་ས་དབང་མཆོག་གིས་གསུང་ནན་ལན་གྲངས་གནང་བ་ལྡོག་མི་ནུས་ཏེ་བློ་ངོར་གང་ཤར་ཐོལ་བྱུང་དུ་འཇའ་ལུས་རྡོ་རྗེས་རང་ཆེ་འབྱིན་བའི་རྒྱུར་འགྱུར་ཀྱང་དད་ལྡན་སུན་མི་འབྱིན་པའི་ཕྱིར་སྨྲས་པ་སྟེ་ཡི་གེར་འདུ་བྱེད་སློབ་བུ་འོད་ཟེར་མཐའ་ཡས་ཀྱིས་བགྱིས་པའོ།། །། This was repeatedly and earnestly requested by the supreme Trochen Sawang, and I was unable to refuse his request. Although this has caused self-aggrandizement to come forth, I, Jalu Dorje, in order not to disenchant those with faith, composed this supplication, which suddenly arose and filled my mind, and the disciple, Özer Taye, wrote it down. NOTES [1] This refers to the First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer (1745–1821). BDRC P298 [2] The Extremely Secret Enlightened Heart-Essence of the Formless Ḍākinīs a cycle of revealed treasures discovered by Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. BDRC W1PD89990 Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: January 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ye shes rdo rje. 1859. rig ’dzin ’ja’ lus rdo rje’i rnam thar gsol ’debs byin rlabs ’gugs pa’i lcags kyu . In Mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje'i rnam thar, pp. 406–413. Gangtok: Dodrupchen Rinpoche, null. BDRC W18047 Abstract This concise biographical prayer to Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje was written by the master himself at the request of a king, most likely Namkha Lhündrub of Trokyab. BDRC LINK W18047 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 08:43 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 Yarlung Pemakö Drigung Til STUDENTS Losal Drölma Trokyab Gyalpo 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 Do Drimé Drakpa Kunzang Tobden Wangpo Gyalse Zhenpen Taye Özer The Third Alak Gyalpo Chöying Tobden Dorje Rigpe Raltri AUTHOR Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje The Hook Which Invokes Blessings: A Supplication to the Life and Liberation of Knowledge-Holder Jalu Dorje VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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 Dream Song
A song remembered from a dream in which Marpa Lotsāwa and other gurus discuss the Dharma, pointing to the innate state beyond conceptual thought. A Dream Song Again, while residing at the great palace of Taitu, on the night of the ninth day of the first month of the Tiger year, I had a dream. In it, the master Pawo Dorje [ 1] appeared, along with Marpa Lotsāwa and other gurus. They were engaging in extensive discussions and debates on the Dharma. In the midst of that, these are the verses that I recall: When concepts get in the way, The samādhi of joy and bliss fades. So however long one meditates, It is of no use. What arises clearly, free from concepts, Is the innate nature itself. No need to search for signs and such. Whatever the mind rests upon Is the very nature of that, Like a jewel Displaying myriad forms. COLOPHON Having heard these words, Marpa said, keep these in your mind. May glory and auspiciousness blaze as an ornament for the world! NOTES [1] The identity of "Pawo Dorje" (དཔའ་བོ་རྡོ་རྗེ, "Vajra-hero") is uncertain. The source text places the first-person pronoun ངས ("I") directly after this name, which could suggest Rangjung Dorje applying the name to himself within the dream—though this is grammatically unusual, since no other source identifies "Pawo Dorje" as an established name or epithet of his. It is equally possible he is a separate figure appearing alongside Marpa and the other gurus. The present translation preserves the name as it stands, without resolving the ambiguity. Published August 2026 BIBLIOGRAPHY Rang byung rdo rje. 2006. gSung mgur thor bu. In Gsung 'bum/ rang byung rdo rje. 16 vols. Zi ling: mTshur phu mkhan po lo yag bkra shis, vol. 5, p. 416. BDRC MW30541_D310C9 Abstract While staying at the imperial palace in Dadu, the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, dreamed of Marpa Lotsāwa and other gurus engaged in Dharma discussion. From the dream, a few verses remained vividly in his mind. They point to the innate state beyond conceptual thought, where clarity arises free from contrivance and whatever the mind rests upon is recognised as inseparable from its own nature. BDRC MW30541 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Karma Kagyu Nyingma Zhije and Chod INCARNATION LINE Karmapa HISTORICAL PERIOD 13th Century 14th Century TEACHERS Orgyenpa Rinchen Pel shes rab gzhon nu 'byung ba shes rab dpal kun dga' don grub ye shes Kumāradza Meban Rinchen Lingpa TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf English editing by Libby Hogg INSTITUTIONS Tsel Gungtang Sangpu Neutok Tsurpu Monastery Karma Gon Dechen Teng Wutai Shan Lhateng STUDENTS Yungton Dorje Pel kun dga' rgyal mtshan Longchenpa The Second Gangkar Lama, Rinchen Zangpo Zhangton Gyawo Sonam Drakpa Kumāradza Puntsok Pelzang rgyal ba dpal Yakde Paṇchen Tsondru Dargye kun dga' rdo rje dar ma rgyal mtshan The First Zhamarpa, Drakpa Sengge Gyelse Lekpa rgya ston kun dga' brtson 'grus 'jam dbyangs grags pa Barawa Gyeltsen Pelzang Meban Rinchen Lingpa AUTHOR The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje A Dream Song VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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 Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā
A vajra song supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu masters while expressing aspirations for realization through the luminous Mahāmudrā path. The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā A ho! Conjoining the pristine primordial wisdom free of elaborations With the youthfulness of luminous great bliss, You attained union endowed with the supreme of all aspects and bear the major and minor marks of perfect accomplishment. Great Buddha Vajradhara, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the unborn true nature! Vajra Queen, devourer of the three existences, with your magical illusions You bring the fortunate to a banquet of the two accomplishments And experientially reveal the naturally liberated truth of the fundamental nature. Chief of the primordial wisdom ḍākinīs, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to accomplish the unchanging supreme bliss! Displaying the drop of the primordially changeless nature of reality [365] As a playful emanation of the three seats of phenomena, You bestowed the short path of the ultimate secret yoga to the fortunate. Tilopa Prajñābhadra, [ 1 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the transcendent continuum! By the marvelous chariot of eighty-two challenging deeds, You approached the lotus feet of the presiding lord, the glorious guru, And attained the precious qualities of the stages and paths in a single moment. Reverend Lord Nāropa, [ 2 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to obtain the nectar of maturation and liberation! The flowers of the secret tantras blossom in the ocean-like multitudes of teachings and practices; By tapping them to extract the honey-like nectar of the essential pith instructions, You introduced the intelligent to the restfulness of the supreme adepts. Yogin Marpa the Translator, [ 3 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the innate primordial wisdom! Driven by the wind of an intense and genuine determination to be free, You firmly secured yourself to the boat of the true nature, inner suchness, And crossed to the other shore of the ocean of existence and peace. Mila Zhepe Dorje, [ 4 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to reach the ultimate goal in one life! Outwardly, you are a spiritual friend of the Mahāyāna fully trained in bodhicitta; Inwardly, you are a practitioner of the Vajrayāna treading the path of maturation and liberation; Secretly, you are the crown jewel of the doctrine holders of the essential [366] profound meaning. Dharma King Da Ö Zhönu, [ 5 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me so that the two benefits are accomplished spontaneously! In short, the beacons of the aural lineage of the ultimate and swift path Introduce all beings of the Land of Snow to the light of liberation And guide all with whom they have connections to the greatly blissful city of the three kāyas. Gurus of the Dagpo Kagyu of natural liberation, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize all that is perceived as illusory! A ho! Although I have obtained the difficult to attain, the free and well-favored precious human body, I am disheartened at the way things appear to be—momentary and impermanent. Through the realization that wherever I am born in saṃsāra is naturally suffering— Bless me with the capacity to accept or reject cause and effect! Recognizing abodes, friends, and possessions to be a play of illusion, I deeply recall the revulsion toward insignificant things, come what may. In a cave of extreme isolation, under an overhanging cliff in a pleasing environment— Bless me to strive single-pointedly in practice! To accept the Three Jewels as the foremost refuge, To train in supreme bodhicitta both in aspiration and in deed, And to utterly expel all obscurations by utilizing the four powers— Bless me to achieve these goals and to endeavor on the path of the two accumulations! In particular, the embodiment of all the victors of the three times, The bodily display of [367] omniscient primordial wisdom, The presiding lord, the glorious guru possessing the three-fold kindness— Bless me to perfect uncontrived devotion! By the guru’s power, the empowerment that transfers vajra wisdom Purifies the three doors equally of all habitual tendencies of transference, [ 6 ] And one directly perceives the ultimate and unchanging, true fundamental nature— Bless me to liberate saṃsāra and nirvāṇa into the central channel! The form, arisen from the essence that is the same as emptiness, Perceiving it as the union of appearance and emptiness, the body of the deity, Firmly binds common delusory concepts— Bless me to cultivate the excellent path of the creation stage! By being saturated with the nectar of the three kinds of training, I have accomplished the union of all winds that enter, abide, and arise, And become familiar with the outer, inner, and secret yoga of inner heat— Bless me in my blazing, dripping, and dissolving in the central channel! [ 7 ] Resting in the actual primordial wisdom of near attainment during equipoise And perceiving all things as the eight similes of illusion [ 8 ] during subsequent cognition Familiarizes one with the illusory clarity-emptiness, pure and devoid of clinging— Bless me to accomplish the level of union! Having entered the luminosity of supreme bliss through complete or subsequent dissolution And conjoined it [368] with the essence of the four empties in an experience of equality, Everything is liberated into the space of the vajra mind of perfect accomplishment— Bless me to dissolve into the dharmakāya of death! Holding the wind and mind inseparably in the drop of the throat And viewing daytime appearances as only the entering and emerging of dreams, Conjoin one with the practice that recognizes derivative delusion for what it is— Bless me to master purification, multiplication, emanation, and transformation! [ 9 ] Familiarizing myself with the view that sees all phenomena as the unreal appearances of the intermediate state, The direct cause of being able to see those appearances as deity, mantra, and dharmakāya Merges the intermediate state with the level of the saṃbhogakāya— Bless me to achieve the supreme attainment! Although the ultimate is beyond elaborate characteristics, such as coming and going, Conventionally, by relying upon a messenger of yogic breath practice, The wind, mind, and drop are ejected into the space of the dhūti [ 10 ] — Bless me to attain the unerring Khecara ! [ 11 ] The meditative absorption of calm-abiding abandons all coarse and subtle concepts. When magnificently perfected, it is like a placid ocean. By embracing it with the insight of the inexpressible and self-arisen true nature— Bless me to realize their inseparable union! One-pointedness is remaining in a state of clarity-emptiness in the yoga of visionary experiences. Freedom from elaborations is realizing the original fundamental nature upon the path of seeing. One taste is being free from abandoning, adopting, denying, and affirming— Bless me to secure these along with the fourth, the stronghold of non-meditation! Through familiarizing myself with primordially innate, unchanging great bliss— The indivisible E and VAM, the drop of spring— And by introducing the indicative wisdom as the uncovered, true primordial wisdom— Bless me to perceive the definitive meaning of Mahāmudrā! Accordingly, by relying upon the vajra yogas of the swift path And maintaining my commitments and vows in a faultless form During the experiences of this life, at the time of death, and in the intermediate state— Bless me to achieve the level of the three kāyas! If the power of karma causes me to enter existence, Bless me to be born into the sharp-witted Vajrayāna family, And with songs intoxicated with the nectar of maturation and liberation— Bless me to proceed to the cities of accomplishment! In this way, with resolute respect, a supplicating song of the definitive meaning Was sung with a lotus-like and pleasing voice that is free of attachment On the twenty-fifth day during the waning phase when the heroes and ḍākinīs assembled To make an aspiration prayer to realize transcendent luminosity. COLOPHON This supplication to the great masters who attained accomplishment through the path of the luminous Mahāmudrā in conjunction with aspirational prayers of the profound path was freely composed by the renunciate beggar called Tsuglak Mawé Nyima [ 12 ] on the twenty-fifth day under the light of a butter lamp near the glorious Taklung Monastery. [ 13 ] Siddhirastu! [ 14 ] NOTES The Drop of Spring is a vajra song that invokes the Dagpo Kagyu Mahāmudrā lineage, recounts a brief tale of each of this tradition’s earliest masters, and requests inspiration to complete the path of awakening. According to the colophon, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo composed this text spontaneously while seated near a butter lamp just outside Taklung Monastery. The song is divided into two main sections: lineage supplications and aspirations. The lineage supplicated is comprised of the earliest Mahāmudrā masters of the Dagpo Kagyu. Each stanza contains a vignette of a master, followed by Khyentse Wangpo’s heart-filled request for that master’s blessing. The aspirations begin with the four thoughts that turn the mind to the Buddhist teachings: precious human birth, impermanence, suffering, and causality. Toward the end of the aspirations, Khyentse Wangpo sings about the foundations of the Vajrayāna path and the special practices of Mahāmudrā. [1] te lo pa, 988–1069, BDRC P4024 [2] nA ro pa, 1012/1016–1100, BDRC P3085 [3] mar pa lo tsA ba chos kyi blo gros, 1012?–1097, BDRC P2636 [4] Milarepa (mi la bzhad pa’i rdo rje, 1040–1123, BDRC P1853 ) [5] Gampopa (dwags po zla ’od gzhon nu, 1079–1153, BDRC P1844 ) [6] “Habitual tendencies of transference” has a range of meaning but generally refers to the “transference of the elements during union.” For an extensive explanation, see Padmasambhava, The Light of Wisdom , Vol. 2, 281, n. 204. [7] The “yoga of inner heat” is a reference to tummo ( gtum mo ) practice. [8] The “eight similes” are that phenomena are like: (1) a dream, (2) an illusion, (3) an optical illusion, (4) a mirage, (5) a reflection of the moon in water, (6) an echo, (7) the City of the Gandharvas, and (8) a phantom. For more detail, see The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism , entry on the “Eight Similes of Illusion” in the “List of Lists,” 73. [9] This stanza alludes to the practice of dream-state illusion, a subset of the illusory-body practice of the Six Yogas. During this method, the practitioner enacts specific processes to recognize appearances have the exact nature of dreams, identify dream phenomena, stabilize the clarity of dream states, and manipulate these experiences. The final line of “purification, multiplication, emanation, and transformation” succinctly points to such skillful means. For a detailed explanation and secondary reading, see Jamgön Kongtrul, The Elements of Tantric Practice , 163 and 345, n. 51. [10] The Sanskrit term dhūti refers to the central channel. [11] Khecara ( mkha’ spyod ) is first and foremost a highly purified experience connected with spiritual accomplishments ( dngos grub , siddhi ) in Buddhist tantra. It is a manifestation in which one’s realization is a completely pure realm. Endowed with eight qualities, such as subtly of form, the higher classification of Khecara is an utterly pure realm where one can further train on the path. Associated with the realm of form, the god realm, and the human realm, this lesser state can be reached through meditative abilities or by yakṣī or siddha guides. For further reading on the topic, see Jamgön Kongtrul, Journey and Goal , 346–348. [12] Academic Nyima, or Tsuglak Mawé Nyima (gtsug lag smra ba’i nyi ma), is one of the pen names of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (’jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, 1820–1892), BDRC P258 . [13] Taklung Gönchen (stag lung dgon chen, BDRC G67 ) [14] "Let there be success!" Published: April 2022 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Originally published for Khyentse Vision Project Photo credit: Himalayan Art Resources BIBLIOGRAPHY mkhyen brtse'i dbang po. 2014. ’od gsal phyag rgya chen po’i shing rta chen po rnams la gsol ba ’debs pa’i rdo rje’i thol glu nges don dpyid kyi thig le. In gsung ’bum/_mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, vol. 22 (za), 364.3–369.6. khams sde dge rdzong sar dgon: rdzong sar blo gros phun tshogs. BDRC W3PD1002 ———. 2013. ’od gsal phyag rgya chen po’i shing rta chen po rnams la gsol ba ’debs pa’i rdo rje’i thol glu nges don dpyid kyi thig le. In mkhyen brtse'i bka' babs, vol. 2 (kha) 167.1–174.3. dkar mdzes bod rigs rang skyong khul sde dge rdzong: rdzong sar khams bye’i slob gling. BDRC MW4PD2082 Secondary: Buswell Jr, Robert E. and Donald S. Lopez Jr, eds. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé. Journey and Goal: An Analysis of the Spiritual Path and Levels to Be Traversed and the Consummate Fruition State . In The Treasury of Knowledge, Books Nine and Ten . Translated by Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2011. ———. The Elements of Tantric Practice: A General Exposition of the Process of Meditation in the Indestructible Way of Secret Mantra . In The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Eight, Part Three . Translated by Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2008. Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche. Gateway to Knowledge: The Treatise Entitled the Gate for Entering the Way of a Paṇḍita, Vol. III . Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2002. Padmasambhava and Jamgön Kongtrül. The Light of Wisdom, Vol. 2 . Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999 Abstract The Drop of Spring inspires us by supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu lineage and making aspirational prayers on the path of the luminous Mahāmudrā. BDRC LINK W3PD1002 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 10:15 TRADITION Sakya Nyingma Marpa Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Dzogchen Khyentse Dzongsar Khyentse Beru Khyentse Dilgo Khyentse Pagchok Khyentse PREVIOUS & SUBSEQUENT INCARNATIONS Jigme Lingpa The Forty-Fourth Ngor Khenchen, Jampa Namkha Chimé Subsequent Incarnations Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Karma Jamyang Khyentse Özer Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Peljor The Third Dzongsar Khyentse, Khyentse Norbu The First Dzogchen Khyentse, Guru Tsewang HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf STUDENTS Jampa Tenzin Khamnyön Dharma Senge Khenchen Tashi Özer The Fourth Zhechen Gyaltsab, Gyurme Pema Namgyal Mipam Gyatso Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye Ngorpa Pönlob Loter Wangpo Dongkam Tulku, Ngawang Damchö Gyatso The Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje Śākya Śrī The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje Gatön Ngawang Legpa Karma Ngedön Tengye Tashi Rinchen Orgyen Tenzin Norbu The Second Dzaka Chogtrul Kunzang Namgyal The First Adzom Drugpa, Drodul Pawo Dorje Khenchen Tubten Gyaltsen Özer Jamyang Sherab Chökyi Nangwa The First Gyatrul, Dongak Tenzin Rigzin Gargyi Wangchuk Khenchen Tsewang Rigzin Tubten Legshe Zangpo Kunga Jampal Drakpa The Eighth Dzamtang Chöje, Mipam Chökyi Jampa Jamyang Dragpa Pema Tegchok Loden The Fifth Zhechen Rabjam, Pema Tegchok Tenpe Gyaltsen Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Gyaltsen Ayu Khandro Dorje Paldrön Minyak Kunzang Sönam Kunzang Gyurme Palden Chimé Takpe Dorje Chokgyur Lingpa Kunga Palden The Sixty-Fifth Ngor Khenchen, Dampa Rinpoche Ngawang Lodrö Zhenpen Nyingpo Ngawang Nyima Könchok Paldrön Ngawang Jampal Rinchen INSTITUTIONS Mindröling Ngor Ewaṃ Chöden Dzongsar Dzongshö Rongme Karmo Taktsang Khawa Karpo Pema Shelpuk TEACHERS Gelong Tubten Dröltön Jamyang Chögyan Kagyu Trinle Wangchuk The Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang, Mingyur Namkhe Dorje Könchok Tenpa Rabgye Yeshe Döndrub Tenpe Gyaltsen Gyurme Tutob Namgyal Chokgyur Lingpa Gyelse Zhenpen Taye Özer Pema Dudul Wangchuk Dorje Rinchen Zhalu Losal Tenkyong The Fourth Zimok, Jampa Tenzin Nyendrak Minling Jetsun Trinle Chödrön The Eighth Chagzam, Khyenrab Tutob Kachen Lobzang Gelek Khenpo Damchö Özer The Forty-Seventh Ngor Khenchen, Jampa Kunga Tenzin The Second Mogtsa, Chöying Dorje Khengen Rigzin Gyatso The First Gyatrul, Dongak Tenzin Pema Vajra Taklung Trirab Ngawang Tenpe Nyima Sakya Yabje Kunga Rinchen Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu Ngawang Namgyal AUTHOR Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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.
- Waterfall of Youth
Döndrup Gyal's free-verse poem, written as Rangdröl, visually cascades down the page like a waterfall, its rhythm and form mirroring the flowing dynamics of youth. Waterfall of Youth The sky, blue and clear Sunlight, warm and gentle Earth, vast and wide Flowers, beautiful and charming Mountains, high and mighty… … Ema — Yet what’s even more wonderful still is this waterfall, cascading off the steep cliff face, right in front of us Look! Its bubbly waves, pure and pristine With spheres of light, the eyes of a peacock feather the tuft of a parrot patterns of silk brocade the rainbow-like bow of Indra [ 1 ] Listen! The sound of its current, clear and euphonic the melody of youth, the songs of the gandharvas [ 2 ] the voice of Brahma the voice of Sarasvati the tune of the cuckoo Kye—this is not an ordinary, natural waterfall, no a mighty and majestic expression a fearless heart undaunted courage flourishing and thriving body elegant and lavish adornments pleasant and beautiful songs This is— the waterfall of youth, the youth of snowy Tibet This is— the courage to be creative the expressions of struggle the music of youth within the Tibetan youth of the nineteen-eighties Kye! Kye! Ah, youthful waterfall waterfall of youth How did such fearless courage —undaunted self-confidence —unimpaired splendor —and inexhaustible strength blossom within you? Indeed, the rains falling from the heavens during the three months of spring the springs gushing forth from the earth during the three months of summer the essence of frost and hail during the three months of autumn the quintessence of the ice and snow during the three months of winters and yet still glacial water—mineral water—slate water—water from forests marshes—mountains—valleys—ravines—and gullies In brief, —water of auspiciousness —water of goodness —water of wishes fulfilled —water with the eight qualities [ 3 ] —water of abundance One hundred and eight different rivulets Hundreds of thousands of different types of water As you are the one river of their unity You dare to cascade off craggy precipices As you are the one river that gathers them all You are brave enough to jump off cliffs into gorges With your courage to collect the different waters of innovation Your intellect is vast, your body strong, and your splendor great With your lack of arrogance and freedom from conceit Your flow is long and current fierce As you have removed impurities and possess the capacity to extract the quintessence Your body and mind are pure while the glorious qualities of your youth flourish O waterfall, You are the witness to history You are the guide to the future Within each of your crystal-clear drops of water The highs and lows of snowy Tibet are inscribed And inside each droplet of your spray The rise and fall of the cool land of snows are contained Without you, How are we to temper the steel of the sword of grammar? Without you, How are we to sharpen the razor of craftsmanship? Without you, The tree of medicine cannot flourish, The flowers of logic and fruit of the inner sciences cannot possibly ripen Perhaps— Within this crystal-like mind of yours The wounds of history The ailments of battle The boils of blind faith And the dust of conservatism might possibly be found Nevertheless, Since you possess the majesty of youth and naturally present glory The frost of the three months of winter will never —have a chance to place your mind within the recess of glaciers The razor blazes of stormy winds might slash —your stream a hundred times, yet how could it ever actually be severed? The reason— The head of your river is linked with the snows And your river’s mouth mixes with the oceans Thus, your long flow of history Has granted us splendor and honor The beautiful sound of the flow of your generations Has granted us encouragement and strength Have your heard—O waterfall! Of these questions of the youth of snowy Tibet? When the stallion of poetry is suffering of thirst, what shall we do? When the elephant of composition is suffering of heat, what shall we do? When the lion of poetic synonyms is oppressed by malevolence, what shall we do? When the young child of drama is left behind as an orphan, how shall we take care of him? When the paternal inheritance of astrology is left behind, empty, who will uphold it? When the young man of science is taken as a groom, how will he be welcomed? When the daughter of craftsmanship is taken as a bride, who will be the husband? Yes, indeed—O waterfall! Your answers which come from music, clear and pristine, beautiful and charming, —We hold in our hearts, like an image carved in stone Surely It is not suitable for the past that blazed with thousand brilliant lights to substitute the present And how could yesterday with its taste of salt ever quench the thirst of today? When the life-force that is ripe for the times Does not fit the lifeless corpse of history, difficult to find, It’s impossible for the pulse of improvement to beat And the heart blood of advancement cannot flow Even more so are the steps on the way forward Hey, waterfall! From your waves shimmering and glistening And from your spray scattering to and fro— Our strength —The strength of the new generation of snowy Tibet has been symbolized From your gurgling, flowing current, And the bubbling sound of your flowing water Our dreams, —the dreams of the new generation of snowy Tibet, are manifest Conservatism, cowardice, blind faith, and laziness… … These have no place whatsoever in this generation of ours Backwardness, barbarism, darkness, backwards customs… … There is no room, whatsoever, for these in our century Waterfall, O waterfall! Our mind flows with your movement and Our blood, as well, courses alongside your currents Although on the path of the future The twists and turns may be greater than before, Nevertheless, there is no chance for the youth of Tibet to be afraid We will certainly forge a new path forward For each and every one of our people Look! The squadron lined up, those are the new generation of Tibet Listen! This steady song is the footsteps of the youth of snowy Tibet A great, luminous path Responsibility with glory Joyful livelihoods Songs of struggle Have not vanished within the youth of the waterfall, And even more so, the waterfall of youth does not decline This— This is the waterfall of youth emerging from the voices of the young generations of snowy Tibet! This— The waterfall of youth flowing in the minds of the youth of snowy Tibet Notes Introduction: The tragic yet prolific life of Döndrup Gyal (1953–1985) was one of the foremost catalysts for the birth of modern literature in Tibet. Having grown up during the Cultural Revolution, Döndrul Gyal was one of the first Tibetans to attend Chinese universities upon the post-revolution opening-up and reform. Not only did studying with renown Tibetan and Chinese scholars at the Central Nationalities Institute in Beijing honed his writings skills and gave him access to a new world of literature, it also shaped his progressive vision for the Tibetans. It was this combination of literary skill and innovative thinking that Döndrup Gyal would soon become famous for. Unfortunately, his progressive views and innovative statements also made him a target for criticism and ostracization in the highly conservative Tibetan society of the day. This, in addition to strained relationships with colleagues and local officials, as well as marital problems with his wife Yumkyi, contributed to his eventual suicide in 1985. Despite his short life of only thirty-two years, his collected works contain six volumes of poetry, fiction, analytical essays, and more which are still studied today. Written under his penname, Rangdrol (self-liberated), Waterfall of Youth is said to be the very first free-verse poem written in Tibetan. To be sure, there is debate whether the Songs of Milarepa and other Tibetan folk literature may equally constitute free-verse poetry. Despite this, it would be impossible to claim that the form and content of Waterfall of Youth were not unique and innovative for its time. The form of the poem is that of a waterfall. As you read down the page, you can see the sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, flow of the waterfall of youth visually cascading down the page. Indeed, when you read the poem, the cadence of the lines is reminiscent of the flow of a waterfall or the current of a river. This form would have previously been most difficult to capture in Tibetan writing given that the majority of books were written or printed on long, narrow rectangular manuscripts. Likewise, the non-native punctuation—namely ellipses and em-dashes—used by Döndrup Gyal here are perhaps one of the very first instances in Tibetan literature. Despite this radically new form, much of the content echoes of the the Tibetan literature of old. We can see the influences of Indic aesthetics that have so deeply impacted Tibetan literature also present in Waterfall of Youth with deities like Indra and Sarasvasti and animals like elephants and peacocks. Likewise, the five major and five minor fields of traditionally learning form the basis of the questions the youth of Tibet ask the waterfall. Yet, at the very same time, the impact of the political slogans of the day are readily utilized by Döndrup Gyal. Words like conservatism, blind faith, laziness, backwardness, and so forth are all likely words newly created by the communist translation efforts. This blending of tradition and innovation, Buddhist and political terminology, is what has made Waterfall of Youth a timeless poem for Tibetans. This legacy is constantly being reinterpreted too. The words of the poem have been turned into lyrics for a rap song by Tibet’s famous hip-hop artist, Dekyi Tsering. Likewise, numerous parodies have been composed such as Waterfall of Beer and so forth. To date, there are two existing English translations—one by the historian Tsering Shakya and the other by the recently deceased Tsering D. Gonkatsang. Nevertheless, both of these translations leave much to be desired as Shakya’s translation occasionally omits lines and Gonkatsang’s seems to forgo the waterfall stylized formatting. The below translation aims to address these issues by capturing both the tone and resonance while still presenting Döndrup Gyal’s vision in an accessible way. May the waterfall continue to flow onwards! [1] The bow of Indra (dbang po'i gzhu or brgya byin gzhu) is a poetic synonym for a rainbow. [2] The gandharvas are a class of being in the Indo-Tibetan cosmology and are said to be the musicians of the god realms. [3] Water possessing the eight qualities is traditionally said to be sweet, cool, smooth, light, clear, pure, soothing to the throat, and beneficial to the stomach. Published: September 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Don grub rgyal. 1997. Lang tsho'i rbab chu. In gsung 'bum don grub rgyal, edited by dbyangs can sgeg pa'i blo gros, Par gzhi dang po par thengs dang po, vol. 1, pp. 160–167. Mi rigs dpe bskrun khang. BDRC MW18123 Abstract Written under his penname, Rangdröl (self-liberated), Döndrup Gyal's Waterfall of Youth is a free-verse poem written in Tibetan. The form of the poem is that of a waterfall. As you read down the page, you can see the sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, flow of the waterfall of youth visually cascading down the page. The cadence of the lines is reminiscent of the flow of a waterfall or the current of a river. BDRC LINK MW18123 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 08:07 TRADITION N/A INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 20th Century TEACHERS N/A TRANSLATOR Lowell Cook INSTITUTIONS N/A STUDENTS N/A AUTHOR Döndrup Gyal Waterfall of Youth VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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.
- This Little Song, I Burst Out Laughing
A playful song mocking the “great meditator” whose liberation is already “right under your nose,” yet remains obscured by distraction, worldly concerns and habit. This Little Song, I Burst Out Laughing Oṃ sarva svasti siddhi hūṃ To the great meditator who lacks the five wisdom kāyas, whose five and three poisons erupt from the very root— what a waste! And yet the five poisons, dawning as wisdom itself, are right under your nose! [1] Seeing this, I, the lone yogin, burst out laughing. Not having realised this path to liberation, and carrying no provisions for the next life— what a waste! And yet the experience of Mahāmudrā is right under your nose! Seeing this, I, the great meditator, burst out laughing. To the great meditator forever fussing with this and that, [2] failing to attain awakening, the path of liberation— what a waste! And yet Buddhahood is right under your nose! Seeing this, I, the lone siddha, burst out laughing. To the great meditator yet to renounce worldly ties, not realising the ultimate— what a waste! And yet the Buddhahood of the five kāyas is right under your nose! Seeing this, I, the realised one, laugh in shame. To the great meditator who squanders a lifetime in town, rattling on in frenzied chatter— [3] what a waste! And yet the secluded mountain retreat is right under your nose! Seeing this, I, the lone ngakpa, burst out laughing. To the great meditator entangled in the eight worldly concerns, blind to the ultimate truth— what a waste! And yet release from the knot of such worldly concerns is right under your nose! Seeing this, I, the monk, burst out laughing. To the great meditator who settles down and takes to drink, [4] failing to attain Buddhahood in this very life—what a waste! And yet primordial wisdom, the path to liberation, is right under your nose! Seeing this, I, Karma Pakshi, [5] burst out laughing! To the great meditator who lies corpse-like in ignorance, untouched by the guru’s blessing— what a waste! Seeing this, I, the three kāyas, burst out laughing. COLOPHON This little song, I Burst Out Laughing, arose from the expanse of wisdom. Thus it was said. NOTES [1] "Right under your nose.” This renders the recurring Tibetan rtsa na ta le gda’ , which conveys something immediately present, close at hand, and vividly apparent. The colloquial English was chosen to preserve both the immediacy and the lightly mocking tone of the refrain. [2] "Forever fussing with this and that.” Tibetan bya byed has a broad sense of activities, undertakings, or busyness. The freer “fussing with this and that” was chosen to preserve the dismissive, almost teasing force of the stanza rather than render it plainly as “engaging in activities.” [3] “Rattling on in frenzied chatter.” The Tibetan literally evokes the mouth “blazing fiercely.” The English renders the behaviour implied by that image rather than reproducing the metaphor directly, in order to retain the stanza’s immediacy and comic contrast with the mountain retreat. [4] The source reads rten ’cha’ chu ’thung , a difficult and uncertain phrase. We have emended chu (“water”) to chang (“alcohol”), yielding “settles down and takes to drink.” Gamble likewise treats the line as problematic, changing the preceeding line see to compensate Gamble (2013). [5] The reference to Karma Pakshi, the Second Karmapa, raises some uncertainty over the identity of the speaker, though it may also be a playful use of one of several elevated self-designations in the song. Since the song is preserved in Rangjung Dorje’s collected songs, we have followed that attribution here BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Source Rang byung rdo rje. 2006. gSung mgur thor bu. In Gsung 'bum/ rang byung rdo rje. 16 vols. Zi ling: mTshur phu mkhan po lo yag bkra shis, vol. 5, pp. 397–398. BDRC MW30541. Secondary Source Gamble, Ruth Ellen. 2013. The View From Nowhere: The Travels of the Third Karmapa, Rang byung rdo rje in Stories and Songs. PhD thesis, The Australian National University. Abstract A sharply comic song in which the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, mocks the pretensions of the “great meditator” who remains caught in distraction, worldly concerns, idle chatter and spiritual complacency while liberation is “right under your nose.” Each stanza turns the criticism into a joke, with the speaker adopting a succession of identities, including yogin, siddha, ngakpa, monk and even the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi, giving the song a playful ambiguity. Beneath the humour is a serious point: wisdom, Mahāmudrā and Buddhahood are not somewhere distant, but immediately present if one recognises them. BDRC MW30541 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Karma Kagyu Nyingma Zhije and Chod INCARNATION LINE Karmapa HISTORICAL PERIOD 13th Century 14th Century TEACHERS Orgyenpa Rinchen Pel shes rab gzhon nu 'byung ba shes rab dpal kun dga' don grub ye shes Kumāradza Meban Rinchen Lingpa TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf English editing by Libby Hogg INSTITUTIONS Tsel Gungtang Sangpu Neutok Tsurpu Monastery Karma Gon Dechen Teng Wutai Shan Lhateng STUDENTS Yungton Dorje Pel kun dga' rgyal mtshan Longchenpa The Second Gangkar Lama, Rinchen Zangpo Zhangton Gyawo Sonam Drakpa Kumāradza Puntsok Pelzang rgyal ba dpal Yakde Paṇchen Tsondru Dargye kun dga' rdo rje dar ma rgyal mtshan The First Zhamarpa, Drakpa Sengge Gyelse Lekpa rgya ston kun dga' brtson 'grus 'jam dbyangs grags pa Barawa Gyeltsen Pelzang Meban Rinchen Lingpa AUTHOR The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje This Little Song, I Burst Out Laughing VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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.
- Types of Spiritual Songs
A brief and vivid account of the different kinds of spiritual songs and the experiences from which they arise. Types of Spiritual Songs Generally speaking, there are many kinds of spiritual song. There are songs of spontaneously arisen herukas, which gladden the heroes and ḍākinīs. There are the dohās of the siddhas, which directly reveal the wisdom of realisation. There are songs of calling the guru from afar, which stir the guru’s mindstream when devotion and compassion effortlessly arise. There are yogins’ songs of experience, which freely express whatever arises once experience has truly taken hold. There are joyful songs of realisation, which emerge when the power of experience and realisation comes forth. There are songs of mastery over appearances, which arise when one knows no fear whatsoever. There are songs of a mind at ease, carefree and open, born of practice carried through without regret. There are contrived songs in which intellectual understanding and experience become intermingled. There are songs of the equality of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, which arise upon realising all things to be equal. And there are many other kinds besides these. Among them, yours is a fine yogin’s song of experience. I rejoice in it. May virtue abound! COLOPHON None BIBLIOGRAPHY Gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba. 2004. mGur dbyangs kyi rnam grangs bstan pa. In gSung 'bum/ gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba. rDzong sar khams byeʼi slob gling, vol. 6, pp. 369–370. BDRC W1PD2074 Abstract Khenpo Shenga offers a lively overview of the many forms a spiritual song can take, from songs of devotion and realisation to spontaneous expressions of meditative experience and much more besides. At its heart, the passage shows how such songs arise directly from the changing inner life of the practitioner. BDRC LINK MW1PD2074 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma Sakya OFFICES HELD Ninteenth Khenpo of Śrī Siṃha College First Abbot of Khamshe Dargye Ling HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS Mipam Gyatso Orgyen Tendzin Norbu blo gter dbang po The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chokyi Dorje Gaton Ngawang Lekpa The Eleventh Tai Situ, Pema Wangchok Gyelpo The Second Dzongsar Khyentse, Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro The Fifth Shechen Rabjam, Pema Tekchok Tenpai Gyeltsen TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Dzogchen Monastery Shechen Dzongsar Lhundrubteng Śrī Siṃha College Khamshe Dargye Ling Pelpung Nyima Changra Gemang Ritro Mandal Gon STUDENTS Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Peljor Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang Rinchen Dorje thub bstan The Ninth Gangkar Lama, Karma Shedrub Chokyi Sengge chos grags, gser kha ngag dbang mkhyen brtse nor bu Ngawang Norbu ye shes rgya mtsho nor dbyangs a paN chos dpal chos 'phel kun dga' thub bstan byang chub zla gzhung khri tsho rin chen dam chos ba thur mkhan chen thub dga' gzhan phan legs grub blo bzang bstan 'dzin bstan pa rin chen bstan 'dzin rgyal mtshan pad+ma tshe ring rnam rgyal dpal bzang nyag rong gu ru lug ru cab ra mkhan chen sgrub rgyud rin po che Gyurme Wosel 'gyur med 'od gsal Pema Tsewang Gyatso Wozer Taye Konchok Yeshe Wozer pad+ma rnam rgyal blo gros rgyal mtshan tshe dbang rig 'dzin 'jigs med blo gros Yonten Gonpo Pema Vajra rwa hor chos grags Pema Tekchok Loden nor bu bstan 'dzin thub bstan chos 'phel Tubten Nyendrak Chime Yeshe Kunzang Pelden mu ra sprul sku 04 pad+ma nor bu The Second Dzongsar Khyentse, Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro bsod nams mgon po khams gsum zil gnon dgyes pa rdo rje tshul khrims bzang po The Eleventh Tai Situ, Pema Wangchok Gyelpo pad+ma tshe dbang 'jam dbyangs chos kyi rgyal mtshan The Sixty-Fifth Ngor Khenchen, Dampa Rinpoche Ngawang Lodro Zhenpen Nyingpo kun dga' bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan chos kyi seng ge dpal ldan chos kyi grags pa pad+ma 'phrin las snying po The Fourth Lingla, Tubten Trinle Gyatso The First Dzogchen Kongtrul, Konchok Tenpai Gyeltsen The Fifth Zimwok, Jampa Kunga Tenzin Druk Khenpo Ngawang Yonten Gyatso Chokyi Wozer The Third Dezhung, Kunga Tenpai Nyima Jigme Tsewang Dudul The First Dzigar Kongtrul, Lodro Rabpel Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Wangchuk Ngawang Nyima Ga Lama Gendun Zangpo Drayab Tubten Zangpo AUTHOR Khenpo Shenga Types of Spiritual Songs VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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 Chronological Timetable: Lives of Do Khyentse’s Familial Line
A chronology of birth and death dates mapping Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje's family lineage through its key figures and connections. A Chronological Timetable: Lives of Do Khyentse’s Familial Line NAME DATE OF BIRTH DATE OF DEATH LIFE SPAN* ANNOTATION Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje Thirteenth Cycle Iron Monkey Year1800 Fourteenth Cycle Fire Tiger Year 1866 66 - Losal Drölma Thirteenth Cycle Water Dog Year 1802 Fourteenth Cycle Iron Bird Year 1861 59 Not of familial line Khaying Drölma Fourteenth Cycle Water Sheep Year 1823 Fourteenth Cycle Wood Tiger Year 1854 31 - Sherab Mebar Fourteenth Cycle Earth Ox Year 1829 Fourteenth Cycle Water Tiger Year 1842 13 - Gyalse Raltri Fourteenth Cycle Iron Tiger Year 1830 Fifteenth Cycle Fire Monkey Year 1896 66 - Somang Chogtrul Fourteenth Cycle Wood Hare Year 1855 - 80+ - Drimé Drakpa Fourteenth Cycle Fire Horse Year 1846 - 40+ Not of familial line Gyepa Dorje Fifteenth Cycle Iron Tiger Year 1890 Sixteenth Cycle Earth Hare Year 1939 49 - Tsezin Wangmo Fifteenth Cycle Wood Horse Year 1894 Sixteenth Cycle Water Snake Year 1953 59 - Dasal Wangmo Sixteenth Cycle Earth Dragon Year 1928 - - 80 years old as of this year COLOPHON None NOTES * Dates have been shifted back one place to align with European calculation. Photo credit: BDRC W1KG987 Published April 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Thub bstan chos dar. 2008. Mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje'i gdung rgyud rim byon gyi 'khrungs rabs re'u mig . In Mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje'i gdung rgyud rim byon gyi rnam thar gsal ba'i me long, pp. 449–450. Pe cin: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang. BDRC W1KG987 Abstract This concise table features birth and death dates for essential individuals connected with Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje's familial line. BDRC LINK W1KG987 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma Drigung Kagyu HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century 21st Century PEOPLE Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje Losal Drölma Khaying Drolma Sherab Mebar Gyalse Rigpe Raltri Somang Chogtrul Drimé Drakpa Gyepa Dorje Tsezin Wangmo Dasal Wangmo INSTITUTIONS Mahā Kyilung Monastery Katok Monastery Dzogchen Monastery Tseringjong Drigung Til Monastery Derge Monastery Gyalrong Kachok Minyak Kernang Karza Hermitage Pema Rito Yarlung Pemakö TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf AUTHOR Tubten Chödar A Chronological Timetable: Lives of Do Khyentse’s Familial Line VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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.
- An Account of Muni Tsenpo and Mutik Tsenpo
A glimpse into Tibet's imperial era through the contested histories of Tri Songdetsen's sons, Muné Tsenpo and Mutik Tsenpo - their accounts remain historically ambiguous. An Account of Muni Tsenpo and Mutik Tsenpo Muni Tsenpo ruled for one year and seven months .[ 1 ] [During his reign], he established the basis for offerings at Samye Monastery and equalized [the wealth of] the rich and the poor of Tibet on three different occasions. [ 2 ] [In the end], his mother administered poison, resulting in his death. During the reign of his younger brother, Jingyön Mutik Tsenpo, [ 3 ] a Chinese-style fort with nine towers was constructed at the eastern gate of glorious Samye. Having built this, in addition to the Karchung Dorje Ying maṇḍala, [ 4 ] Mutik Tsenpo worshiped profusely at all the temples that his ancestors had erected. He led a lifestyle like that of a Dharma-protecting king while maintaining the dual system of religion and politics more effectively than before. Moreover, the king meditated, visualizing the master seated above his head, and clearly envisioned his own body as the meditational deity while he practiced the recitations of vajra speech. Furthermore, having founded the teachings of the monastic college and retreat centers, Mutik Tsenpo established the Dharma like the all-pervading sun. Once again, the great vajra master, Padmasambhava, and the great translator, Vairocana, among others, spread the teaching of the resultant, secret-mantra Vajrayāna and newly rendered the previously untranslated sūtras. Concerning the magnitude of his power as king, he brought approximately two-thirds of the world under his rule. The kings of India, China, Turkestan, and Mongolia, among others, had to obey the edicts of the Tibetan king. According to the resources of each of these lands, they were to provide various types of wealth, including fine silk brocades and exceptional foodstuffs, within a set time frame. He had a son named Dingtri, who was enthroned at the age of eleven upon his father's death. [ 5 ] Together with his first and second wife, they had five princesses in all. He established the saṃgha and rendered numerous services to the temples built by his ancestors. He ruled until he died at the age of fifty-five. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] mu ni/ne btsan po, BDRC P2MS13215 [2] bsam yas dgon pa, BDRC G287 [3] mjing yon mu tig btsan po, BDRC P2MS13217 [4] Karchung Vajradhātu Maṇḍala (skar chung rdo rjeʼi dbyings) [5] lding khri Photo Credit: Himalayan Art Resources Published: March 2022 BIBLIOGRAPHY Dragshö Puntsok Wangdu (drag shos phun tshogs dbang ʼdus). mu ni btsan po dang mjing yon mu tig btsan poʼi lo rgy us. In ʼ brug chos srid kyi rab s , 31–32. thim phug: ʼbrug rgyal yongs dpe mdzod, 2007. BDRC MW1KG1680 . Abstract Giving glimpses of the Tibetan imperial period, this concise text encapsulates historical highlights of the kings—Muné Tsenpo and Mutik Tsenpo. Sons of Tri Songdetsen, the period and accounts of these two rulers are nothing but muddled, and the historical veracity ought to be taken with a grain of salt. BDRC LINK MW1KG1680 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 02:39 INDIVIDUALS Mune Tsenpo Mutik Tsenpo PREDECESSORS Tri Songdetsen Mune Tsenpo SUCCESSORS Mutik Tsenpo Ralpachen HISTORICAL PERIOD 8th Century 9th Century TRANSLATOR Marlevis Robaina INSTITUTION N/A INSTITUTION Samye AUTHOR Dragsö Puntsok Wangdu An Account of Muni Tsenpo and Mutik Tsenpo VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators 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.









