Senior Geluk figure Lelung Zhepe Dorje (1697-1740) recounts his extraordinary 1729 pure vision of Gesar of Ling, marking a rare intersection of Geluk tradition with Tibet's epic hero. Chapter Narrating the Pure Vision of Gesar I pay homage, with a mind of sincere respect, to the Great Noble One, Lord of the Three Worlds, [ 1 ] and his entourages. The many tales of the Great Noble One, Gesar Dorje Tsegyel, [ 2 ] known throughout the Three Worlds, [ 3 ] are deep and hard to fathom, passing beyond our ability to comprehend. There are many different ways in which the story has come down according to a disciple’s individual karmic lot. Even today, such tales continue to be told in all directions without distinction in Dokham, Utsang, and so on. And although all these various life stories differ in style and content, they need not be considered contradictory since they are the life stories of a thus-gone one. [ 4 ] It is for this reason that there is variance. Here, not long after the [annual] grand festival to celebrate the joining of the Great Queen of Medicine, Dorje Yudronma, [ 5 ] and the Great Noble One of Ling (Gesar), at the Zangdokpelri [hermitage] in the Lelung region of the eastern land of Olga [ 6 ] [in Lhodrak, southern Tibet] in the year of the Earth Female Bird [1729 CE], an emanation of the Great Noble One (Gesar) was encountered in the form of an iron man wearing iron armour, brandishing a silk-pennanted spear. And the following life story was heard: Now in the realm of the gods above, from a primordial state of complete nothingness, a White Light, like the Victory Star, [ 7 ] arose. Being born from the Divine Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, [ 8 ] it resided in an egg-like womb of light, a light born out of its own radiance. And soon afterwards, desire arose in the breast of one daughter of the gods called Bum Okimetse, [ 9 ] and she replicated that luminous sphere. For this she was ridiculed and cursed by the gods and grew ashamed. So she went to a victorious sage of the gods and humbly beseeched him thus: “They accuse me of having done that which I have not done! They blame me for having attachments that I do not have! I just can’t take their chastisements anymore! I can dwell no longer in the realm of gods above, And nor can I go to the land of the lu water-spirits [ 10 ] below.” “So I should take a quick look at the middle world of humans. I shall take that young godling along with me [as a companion]. Is there any fault created by my going there? Great sage, please tell me; I implore you!” Thus she spoke, and the old sage of creation, born into the caste of Yungdrung Bon, [ 11 ] replied thus: “ A-ya-ya , you crowned girl, Light Garland Goddess! It is very good that you have come here, as I have been wanting to see you. Last night, beings in the land of men Had hurried dreams of various kinds. So many good signs! Such as cannot be spoken.” “ A-ya-ya ! These were signs; these were premonitions, That you, my girl, would come at this time. For now you should stay awhile longer in the land of gods, For from [your nurturing] mother’s lap, a son will be born. Call upon the god Gertso Nyenpo [ 12 ] for help But don’t dismiss your young godling, For he will be of benefit to all beings of all countries and regions.” [ 13 ] “ A-ya-ya! A godling is better than a man, Unlike other little men born of gods! Three fives make fifteen! Possible danger can come of this! Three sixes make eighteen—certainly a chance of such! O beautiful maiden, may your innermost mind be at peace.” Then the goddess Bum Okimetse went back to her own dwelling place and, [in accordance with his instructions], made offerings of female yak milk to the worldly god Nyenchen Gertso. [ 14 ] As she prayed, Gertso actually came before her and, taking her tightly on his lap, he made love to her fifteen times, inducing in her a state of great pleasure. And after a while, just as the sage had prophesied, the goddess became pregnant. Initially, a venomous black snake was born, and the gods gave it the name White-Turbaned Nele (Nele Tokar), [ 15 ] king of lu , and it went into the great ocean. Next, a red man and a red horse were born. He was named Tsen Yawa Kyachik. [ 16 ] He went to Zangthang Jangmar in the western direction, one of the five regions of the Gawa Valley in the northern part of Pemako. [ 17 ] It was a hub of pernicious harmful spirits near a town of the Chim [clan] [ 18 ] and barbarians. He stayed there as lord of gods and spirits. [ 19 ] Then a blue man wearing fine blue clothes and a blue horse were born. He was given the name Lord of Waters, Lap-born Masang (Chudak Pangkye Masang). [ 20 ] He went to the land of Lato. [ 21 ] After that, a malicious harmful spirit was born with a chin of iron and a yellow beard spiked like tongues of fire. He was respectfully given the name King of Demons (Dudje Gyelpo) [ 22 ] and, in fact, was none other than the mind-lord Indra. [ 23 ] He went to the land of Gyatri Gotri Shing [ 24 ] and was also known as Gyaje Tsenpo, [ 25 ] or the One-eyed Demon King of the Eastern Direction. Following that, a black man and a black horse were born. He was given the name Moon-faced Demon (Dudawai Gonchen). [ 26 ] He had unimaginable power and magical abilities, difficult for others to defeat. Going to the northern land of Mizhung, [ 27 ] he became a hunter. Having killed many beings by gathering their life-breath, he accumulated about a hundred thousand human and horse corpses and stayed there enjoying their flesh and blood. Subsequently, a daughter of the gods—so beautiful that a single glance nulls contentment—was born. She was given the name Charming Goddess (Lhamo Yitrok). [ 28 ] By and by, she went to the red copper plain of the tsen [ 29 ] and lived there as the wife of the noble tsen , Lutsen. [ 30 ] Then the harmful spirit Genuine Knowledge (Yangdak Shay) [ 31 ] was born, beautiful and heroic. In the Palace of Braids, [ 32 ] he joined the entourage of Vaishravana, [ 33 ] and together with the servants of this great wealth-god and lord of treasures, he stayed as the Great Protecting King of the Northern Direction. [ 34 ] Next, a being with the appearance of a sinpo demon, [ 35 ] skilled in martial arts, was born, known as Raksha Lightening-Garland (Yaksha Loktreng), [ 36 ] who in the depths of the ocean, by the power of karma, joined with the female lu Toad-headed Bloodshot-eyed (Belgo Trakmikma), [ 37 ] whose desire boiled like water. By entering into sexual union, they became husband and wife. It is said that she gave birth to the four-faced Vishnu King of Rahu. [ 38 ] Then Black Shiva (Wangchuk Nakpo) [ 39 ] was born, and staying in the land of turban-wearers, he became the protector of the Muslim regions. After that, the Red Lord of Death (Shinje Marpo Chidak), [ 40 ] the colour of blood, was born. He was also known as Bandit Bringer of Fire, the Red Lord of Life (Sokdak Marpo), or Great Abse, among other names. [ 41 ] He was the master of swift and sharp martial skills and possessed magical abilities. It is said because he had sex with his own sibling, the Charming Goddess, kith and kin were ashamed. The gods insulted them, and they were belittled by shame. Following that, the protector of China, the land of the Eastern Direction, called Lhanyen Lhaje, [ 42 ] was born. He became the protector of White Confucius. And until now, he stays in those bad regions. Then a demoness the colour of blood, with the body of a sinmo demoness and the head of a lion, was born. She was known as Red Lion-faced (Sengdong Marmo) [ 43 ] and became the wife of the demon Black Yabshar, [ 44 ] otherwise known as the Lion-faced Kunga Zhonu, the protector of the realm. [ 45 ] Next, Simultaneously Red (Chikchar Marpo) [ 46 ] was born and went to Tsaritra, [ 47 ] enjoying flesh and blood. Since he had little compassion for those mired in the passion of life, he became lord of the haughty spirits, and there he remained. After that, the one called Great Apo, [ 48 ] who resides now as a protecting god of Pemako, was born. Going to the lands of Lo Dra and Hor Ga, [ 49 ] he protects the outer, inner, and secret regions of Pemako and subregions. Then when all these fourteen elder siblings were born, the fifteenth, the Great Noble One, Gesar, King of Dralha, [ 50 ] was born. He was youthful in stature and beautiful with all the signs and characteristics [of a special being] complete, transfixing to look upon, and capable of bringing all the Three Realms [ 51 ] under his dominion. Initially, he thrice played dice [ 52 ] in the realm of gods and gained respect from all of them. Then, going to the land of humans, he again thrice played dice games, casting gambling dice, [ 53 ] and playing pebbles, [ 54 ] thereby bringing all the beings of the human realm into complete submission; he was left unrivalled. Then, having crossed to the water realm, he trice did swimming, jumping and other such games, and all the female lu lusted after him. Hence, he gained mastery over them, neutralized their viciousness, and calmed their fury. And in that way, being without rival in the Three Worlds, the Great Noble One traversed instantly through the central region [ 55 ] [of Tibet] to Serzhong Zangri. [ 56 ] In the female Earth Bird Year, the Great Noble One took care of the reincarnation of the son Gadol Gali. [ 57 ] For our benefit, he turned his horse towards the hermitage of the supreme sacred site of Zangdok Pelri [in Lelung Valley] and took the Great Queen of Medicine, Lachik Yudronma, as his consort. All lords and ministers, from the treasurer and attendant to the hen keeper and swineherd [who witnessed this], are still alive to this day. In the past, when Great Noble One came to Tibet, he visited all these places and blessed all the hermitages, mountains, and cliffs. And previously, his flying-mount-tree, [ 58 ] [the tree from which he gets his flying stick], was [considered to be] at the upper slopes of Lhunpo Dza. [ 59 ] But today it is not there, as it has been felled. And from the upper slopes of Lhunpo Dza to the area of Chabumpa, [ 60 ] the stones Gesar placed there can be seen even now. Later, the secret caves, sacred sites, and holy lakes were discovered eventually, as they were pointed out and taught in the secret transmission. COLOPHON This is the first chapter of the three-part oral instruction of the Gesar Pure Vision. NOTES [1] 'jig rten gsum. Referring to the worlds of lha ‘gods’ above, klu ‘water spirits’ below, and gnyan ‘worldly deities’ in the middle. This tripartite scheme of a vertically-ordered world is a central theme in most tellings of the Gesar epic. In this text, two or three terms are used to refer to the scheme: ‘jig rten gsum, sa gsum, and srid gsum. The first two we have translated as “Three Worlds” and the last as “Three Realms”, since it could also be interpreted as referring to the Buddhist scheme of Form, Formless, and Formless Realms (more commonly known as as khams gsum). [2] skyes bu chen po ge sar rdo rje tshe rgyal [3] sa gsum [4] de bzhin gshegs pa, tathāgata [5] Sman btsun chen mo rdo rje g.yu sgron ma is one of the bstan ma bcu gnyis, the 12 native goddesses who according to Nyingma lore were converted in the 8th century by Padmasambhava and Pelgyi Senge (dpal gyi seng ge; BDRC P4236 ) to become protectors of the tantric teachings of the Old School. [6] 'ol ga [7] The Victory Star (rgyal skar, puṣya/pauṣa) is one of the twenty-eight stars/constellations (rgyu skar nyi shu rtsa brgyad, aṣtāviṃśati nakṣatrāṇi) in the Indo-Tibetan system of lunar mansions, an ancient Indian division of the ecliptic. In the Tibetan tradition, a period associated with one of these constellations is determined by the moon’s position. If the moon was in the Victory Star at sunrise on a lunar day, that day would be considered to be ruled by that constellation. [8] lha'i yid bzhin nor bu rin po che [9] 'bum 'od kyi me tshe [10] klu (Skt: (nāga) are beings of the world below, associated with water, health, and wealth. [11] g.yung drung bon [12] lha ger mtsho gnyan po. The deity ger mtsho, in various spellings, is frequently encountered in tellings of the Gesar epic as the gnyan father of Gesar. Gnyan are a class of powerful worldly deities in Tibetan culture who inhabit the middle world, in which humans also dwell. They are often associated with mountain deities. [13] yul gling dgu'i skyes 'gro yongs [14] srid pa'i lha gnyan chen po ger mtsho. See note above. [15] ne le thod dkar [16] btsan ya ba skya gcig [17] zangs thang byang dmar gyi gling and dga' ba lung [18] 'chims [19] lha srin [20] chu bdag pang skyes ma sang [21] la stod [22] bdud rje rgyal po [23] brgya byin (“hundred sacrifices”) is the usual Tibetan name for Indra (also known as Kauśika or Śakra), king of the heaven of the Thirty-Three gods (of the desire realm). [24] rgya khri sgo khri shing [25] rgya rje btsan po [26] bdud zla ba'i gdong can [27] mi gzhung [28] lha mo yid 'phrog [29] btsan. These are non-human entities of the world characterized in Tibetan culture. They are included in the eight classes (sde brgyad) and are primarily seen as greatly powerful and nefarious beings who inhabit a specified locale. [30] klu btsan. This name is familiar from many tellings of the Gesar epic in which Lutsen is one of the hero’s main adversaries. In many tellings, he is the Demon of the North, whose beautiful wife waylays Gesar for many years. [31] yang dag shes [32] lcang lo can gyi pho brang [33] rnam thos sras, Vaiśravaṇa [34] byang phyogs skong ba'i rgyal po chen po [35] Srin po (or feminine srin mo) are a prominent class of harmful being or demon in Tibetan culture. This is the term used in Tibetan to translate the Sanskrit rākṣasa. They are human-eating and bloodthirsty. [36] rak+sha glog phreng [37] klu mo sbal mgo mig khrag ma [38] khyab 'jug gza'i rgyal po [39] dbang phyug nag po [40] gshin rje dmar po 'chi bdag [41] jag pa me len; srog bdag dmar po; ab se chen po. Among the “other names” alluded to would be beg tse and lcam sring. [42] lha gnyan lha rje [43] seng gdong dmar mo [44] yab shar nag po [45] zhing skyong seng ge'i gdong chen kun dga' gzhon nu [46] cig car dmar po [47] tsa ri tra [48] a pho chen po [49] klo gra; hor ga [50] dgra lha [51] srid gsum. This could refer to the “three worlds” (worlds above below and in the middle) or to the classical Buddhist scheme of Three Realms (usually known as khams gsum) of the Form, Formless, and Desire Realms. [52] sho [53] cho lo [54] rdo [55] dbu ru [56] gser gzhong zings ri [57] bu ga 'dol ga li'i skye ba [58] chibs phur gyi ljong shing [59] lhun po rdza'i mgul [60] bca' 'bum pa. These areas, Lhunpo Dza and Chabumpa, might be in the area of Lelung, but their exact locations are unknown to the translator and the organisation. Please contact Tib Shelf if you are aware of their whereabouts. Full Abstract: The Fifth Lelung Rinpoche, Zhepai Dorje (1697–1740), is unusual among senior Geluk figures for having taken a personal interest in the figure of Gesar of Ling, eponymous hero of the Tibetan epic. At least three texts on Gesar are ascribed to him: the one translated below and two offering texts. The text translated here narrates his ‘pure vision’ (dag snang) of Gesar, which took place near his monastic seat at Lelung, in Olga, in 1729. The vision was accompanied by a narration of Gesar’s origin ‘story’ (gtam rgyud). There are many points of interest to note about the text. Here we have an early textual attestation of the name Gesar Dorje Tsegyal, ‘Vajra Lord of Life’, the name of Gesar, which was later used by Ju Mipham in his influential elaborations of a ritual cycle centring on Gesar as protector-turned-yidam. Lelung attests that the vision took place soon after an annual festival held in his home region of Lelung, celebrating the union of Gesar and Dorje Yudronma, one of the Tenma Chunyi (‘twelve protectoresses of the teachings’), attesting to a pre-existing tradition in that region connecting Gesar to the lore around the Tantric Buddhist conversion activities of Padmasambhava. Lelung’s account of Gesar’s origins, as the 15th offspring from the union of a primordial goddess of light with a “worldly deity” (srid pa’i lha) is unusual and unique among the many tellings of Gesar’s origins. Still, it also shows interesting points of convergence with the epic storytelling traditions about Gesar, which persists in present times, especially in eastern Tibet. In particular, the identification of Gesar’s ‘worldly deity’ father as the Great Nyen Gertsho (gnyan chen po ger mtsho) is a feature often encountered in eastern Tibetan tellings of the epic. Also, Lelung’s narration of the hero’s origin is presented in the familiar three-tiered tableau of the “Three Worlds” (sa gsum, srid gsum), central to the Tibetan epic tradition and to Tibetan folk culture more broadly, of the lha (gods) above, the klu (water spirits) below, and the gnyan (worldly deities) in the middle. Unfortunately a trip to Olga, in the south-central Lhoka region of Tibet, to explore the locations in the Lelung valley referenced in the text, has so far been impossible. Many thanks to Tenzin Choephel and Ryan Jacobson for their very helpful corrections and suggestions for the translation and to Tom Greensmith for seeing the translation through to publication here. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bzhad pa'i rdo rje. 1983–1985. Dag snang ge sar gyi gtam rgyud le'u. In Gsung 'bum/_bzhad pa'i rdo rje, vol. 12, pp. 17–25. Leh: T. Sonam and D.L. Tashigang. BDRC W22130 Abstract The Fifth Lelung Rinpoche, Shepé Dorjé (1697–1740), is unusual among senior Geluk figures for having taken a personal interest in the figure of Gesar of Ling, eponymous hero of the Tibetan epic. The text translated here narrates his ‘pure vision’ of Gesar, which took place near his monastic seat at Lelung, in Olga, in 1729. Please see the full abstract in the note section of the translation. BDRC LINK W22130 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Geluk | Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Lelung Jedrung HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century TEACHERS The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso The Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobzang Yeshé Damchö Sangpo Mingyur Paldrön Chöjé Lingpa Dönyö Khedrup The First Purchok, Ngawang Jampa Ngawang Chödrak Yeshé Gyatso Damchö Gyatso Losal Gyatso Lhündrup Gyatso Dungkar Tsangyang Drukdrak TRANSLATOR George FitzHerbert INSTITUTIONS Lelung Monastery Mindröling Ngari Dratsang Chökhor Gyal Trandruk Potala Tsari STUDENTS Kunga Mingyur Dorjé Dorjé Yomé Kunga Paldzom Lobsang Lhachok Dönyö Khedrub Polhané Sönam Tobgyé Ngawang Jampa Mingyur Paldrön The Fifth Dorjé Drak Rigdzin, Kelsang Pema Wangchuk Lhasang Khan AUTHOR Lelung Zhepe Dorje Chapter Narrating the Pure Vision of Gesar VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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Your donations will enable us to continue to grow our cache of translated open-source publications, ensure they continue to be openly accessible through a user-friendly platform, and support under-funded translators for their continued endeavours towards this worthy cause. THANK YOU Thank you for visiting Tib Shelf. We hope that Tib Shelf proves to be a useful and welcoming platform to all. One that encourages collaboration and appreciation for all contributors to what we believe, a very worthy cause. TRANSLATOR Lowell Cook Lowell is an independent scholar who translates and researches the entire breadth of Tibetan literature, from the ancient Dunhuang manuscripts to contemporary poetry. He completed his MA in Translation, Philology, and Textual Interpretation at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal. He is the author of Tibetan Pure Land Buddhism and translator of Sangak Tenzin’s A White Conch Spiralling Toward Happiness: Poems of a Tibetan Master. His translations and writings have appeared on 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, High Peaks Pure Earth, The Los Angeles Review of Books’ China Channel, Lotsawa House, and other venues. TRANSLATOR Dr. Rachael Griffiths Dr. Rachael Griffiths holds a DPhil in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford, with a thesis on the autobiography of Sumpa Khenpo Yeshe Paljor. Her research interests include life writing, monastic and intellectual networks, and Sino-Tibetan-Mongolian relations in the early modern period. TRANSLATOR Dr. George FitzHerbert Dr. George FitzHerbert currently teaches Tibetan Language, History and Literature at the University of Oxford (until 2022). He is also a member of the ERC-funded TibArmy research team based in Paris. He completed his DPhil on the Tibetan Gesar Epic in 2008 and his research spans various issues in Tibetan cultural and religious history. He has also worked as a journalist for the BBC and as a freelance researcher and ghostwriter. TRANSLATOR Patrick Dowd Patrick Dowd is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on the culture of Tibetan language within the world of Tibetan Buddhism. His essays have been published by Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, and Buddhadharma, and his translations have appeared on Lotsawa House. Prior to beginning his doctoral work, he spent several years studying, researching, and collaboratively working with Tibetan communities in India, Nepal, and Tibet. TRANSLATOR Rinzin Dorjee Drongpa Rinzin was born in Tibet and studied at a Tibetan refugee school in India. He received his MA in philosophy from Delhi University. During his time at the university, he also got the opportunity to study Tibetan Buddhism and art. In 2018 he participated in a three-month intensive translation workshop conducted by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. He is currently working as a freelance translator and continuing with his ngöndro practice (a preliminary practice in Tibetan Buddhism). Rinzin is also a self-taught pencil portrait artist and loves sketching in his free time. TRANSLATOR Michael Elison Michael is a professional Java Developer, as well as Full Stack Developer with experience in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MongoDB, SQL. He also has a great interest in Tibetan Language and Culture. In 2019, he graduated from the University of Oxford as a Master of Philosophy in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. For his Master’s thesis, Michael conducted research on the practice of Dream Yoga in Bon in comparison with Tibetan Buddhist traditions. TRANSLATOR Yeshe Khandro In addition to holding a bachelor's degree in science, Yeshe Khandro is a Buddhist nun who has completed over twenty years of Buddhist teacher training. Editing for accuracy of meaning in translation was a major part of her job during much of this time. More recently, she has begun to produce some short translations in her spare time. TRANSLATOR Dr. Nicole Willock Nicole Willock (Ph.D. in Tibetan Studies and Religious Studies, Indiana University 2011) is an associate professor of Asian Religions at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Willock’s research examines the intersections between Tibetan literature, Buddhist modernism, moral agency, and state-driven secularization projects in twentieth-century China. Her book Lineages of the Literary tells the story of how three Tibetan polymaths in the People’s Republic of China: Tséten Zhabdrung (1910–1985), Mugé Samten (1914–1993), and Dungkar Lozang Trinlé (1927–1997) crisscrossed religious and secular domains to revive Tibetan culture in the post-Mao era. She serves as co-chair of the Tibet and Himalayan Religions Unit of the American Academy of Religion. TRANSLATOR Marlevis Robaina In addition to teaching Spanish, following the completion of her Spanish as a Foreign Language Teacher (ELE) at the University of Nebrija, Marlevis is a collaborative content writer for websites and blogs. Closely holding discipline and dedication to her heart has helped her martial arts practice and language acquisition, leading her to study Japanese at the University of Havana. She followed this by earning a Bachelor's Degree in East Asian Studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and studying Sanskrit Language and Literature Studies (University Extension Course) at the University of Barcelona (UB). Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, Marlevis started studying the Tibetan language with Tibetan teachers and then continued with Easy Tibetan's online courses. In her free time, she loves to make origami and enjoy nature. TRANSLATOR Barbara Hazelton (Lama Rinchen Zangmo) Barbara Hazelton has a BA in Fine Art History, MA in Buddhist Studies, and is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Toronto. Her dissertation topic is on the Tibetan King Gesar of Ling Tibetan epic, focusing on its oral tradition and the singers of the tale, the epic bards. She has taught several courses at the University of Toronto and presently the collaborative program with New College. Her background in Tibetan visual imagery and ritual is based on studying with Tibetan scholars and ritual specialists as well as many years of meditation instruction and experience under great Tibetan Buddhist masters. She is a practicing artist training in the Karma Gadri painting tradition. A particular interest of hers is the sacred landscape of Tibet as the confluence of the imaginative world of landscapes, structures, rituals, pilgrimage routes, and literature. She is inspired by the popular genre of the liberation stories (rnam thar ), particularly the female models of enlightened activity exemplified by the great realized female practitioners called yoginīs, such as Yeshe Tsogyal and Niguma. TRANSLATOR Dr. Joseph McClellan Joseph McClellan received a Ph.D. from Columbia University’s Department of Religion. He then taught at colleges in the US, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Bhutan. He now lives in SE Asia focusing on translation and writing. TRANSLATOR Shengnan Dong Shengnan Dong is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History of Art and Archaeology at SOAS, London. She studies Buddhist art and architecture with a particular focus on depictions of mandalas and monumental multi-chapelled stupas built in central Tibet during the 12-15th centuries. Shengnan is also interested in the constructed sacred spaces at Buddhist sites across Central Asia and Northern China, as well as pictorial representation of landscape, cosmos and heavenly realms in the Buddhist context. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked professionally as a photographer, illustrator and film editor. Published Translators

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

A rare collection of letters by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso, from the Water Pig year - now preserved in France, their recipients and original acquisition remain a mystery. Eleventh Day, Ninth Month, Water Pig Year LETTER ONE: These days, [I hope] your Mount Meru like body, which is produced as a result of the glorious and outstanding training of the past, is well and that the series of great benevolent waves of your four virtuous actions are continuously beautiful. Note that from Chabtru Khenpo, [ 1 ] who recently arrived in Lhasa on the 21st day of the 11th Tibetan lunar month of the Water Dog Year (1922), I have received, as offerings for advice, good khataks (offering scarfs) made of Mongolian silk, five zho of rin and tur , [ 2 ] one handkerchief [made of] a type of fine cloth, and a manaho snuff box with a lid and case. [ 3 ] On my side, my conditioned body is not tainted by any harm and is in a state of temporary comfort. I am continuously and happily, with the highest intentions, conducting religious and temporal matters for the benefit of beings and the doctrine, like that of the supreme one’s [ 4 ] life. In the future, too, please be sure to take good care of your health, which is the source of all the auspicious goodness and prosperity, and run [the country] as before to generate waves of benefit for the doctrine and all beings. Moreover, [please] continue to accumulate auspicious merit. Together with this letter, I enclose a blessed protective object, [ 5 ] a sealed pair of handprints, and three handmade, blessed circles of earth. [ 6 ] Sent on the auspicious 11th day of the 9th month of the Water Pig Year (1923). LETTER TWO: These days, [I hope] your body is as stable as conch, which comes from the glorious ocean of virtuous actions, and that you are enjoying the wealth, which competes with the gardens of heavenly paradise. Note that from Chabtru Khenpo, [ 7 ] who recently arrived in Lhasa on the 21st day of the 11th Tibetan lunar month of the Water Dog Year (1922), I have received, as offerings for advice, good khataks (offering scarfs) made of Mongolian silk, and five zho of rin and tur , one handkerchief [made of] a type of fine cloth, and a manaho snuff box with a lid and case. On my side, the conditioned constitution [of my body] is steady, and I endeavour to carry out virtuous actions to spread religious and temporal matters. In the future too, please spread happiness in accordance with local conditions. Moreover, like the good actions of the past, [please] continue to accumulate auspicious merit. Together with this letter, I enclose a blessed protective object, a sealed pair of handprints, and three handmade, blessed circles of earth. Sent on the auspicious 11th day of the 9th month of the Water Pig Year (1923). COLOPHON None NOTES [1] byab[s] khrus mkhan po [2] Zho is a measurement of currency. rin and mthur [3] Ma na ho is a type of precious stone. [4] Supreme one could be one of three things: the Manchu emperor, Russian royalty, or previous incarnations of the Dalai Lama. Given that the first two no longer existed in 1922, it is most likely that he was referring to his previous incarnations [5] For example, an amulet or protective thread [6] Dried soil. It is blessed with mantras and considered auspicious (many ingest it). [7] byabs khrus mkhan po BIBLIOGRAPHY Ta la'i bla ma 13 thub bstan rgya mtsho. 1923. Private Collection. London: Tib Shelf W002 Published: May 2021 Abstract These letters were purchased and are now conserved in a private collection in France. The means of the initial acquisition is unknown. The recipient(s) of the letters are currently unidentified, and their connection with the Thirteenth Dalai Lama is undetermined. We are happy to receive any information concerning these letters. TIB SHELF W002 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Geluk INCARNATION LINE Dalai Lama HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS The Third Purchok, Jampa Gyatso The Fourth Amdo Zhamar, Gendun Tendzin Gyatso The Fifth Ling Rinpoche, Lobzang Lungtok Tenzin Trinle The Tenth Tatsak Jedrung, Ngawang Pelden Chokyi Gyeltsen Lobzang Rabsel The Eighty-Second Ganden Tripa, Yeshe Chopel Lerab Lingpa Agvan Dorjiev TRANSLATORS Rachael Griffiths Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Ganden Sera Monastery Drepung Monastery Tashilhunpo Kumbum Jampa Ling Tsel Gungtang Ralung Monastery Gyuto Dratsang Reting Monastery Drepung Gomang Dratsang Langdun Manor House Lhasa Tsuklakhang Shol Printery Namgyel Potala Norbulingkha Mentsikhang Ikh Khuree Tsari Bhutan House Wutai Shan Bodhgaya Lhamo Latso STUDENTS Tubten Namdrol The Fifth Reting Rinpoche, Tubten Jampel Yeshe Tenpai Gyeltsen The Ninth Panchen Lama, Tubten Chokyi Nyima Gedun Lungtok Rabgye The Ninth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Tubten Chowang Nyamnyi Dorje The Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje The Second Jamgon Kongtrul, Khyentse Ozer The Eleventh Tongkhor, Lobzang Jigme Tsultrim Gyatso The Fifth Kondor Tulku, Lobzang Namgyel Tendzin Lhundrub Jampa Taye The Sixth Ling Rinpoche, Thupten Lungtok Namgyal Trinle AUTHOR The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso Eleventh Day, Ninth Month, Water Pig Year VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Treasure Revealer Jatsön Nyingpo 1585–1656 BDRC P882 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE HIMALAYAN ART RESOURCES Jatsön Nyingpo was a renowned Nyingma treasure revealer and spiritual master who played a significant role in Tibetan Buddhism. He began his monastic training under Mipam Tashi Lodrö and later spent seventeen years in a sealed retreat, during which he revealed numerous treasures, including the Embodiment of the Precious Ones (dkon mchog spyi 'dus ), a Guru Rinpoche sādhana that became widely practiced. He also identified Pemakö as a hidden land, a sacred refuge for practitioners in degenerate times, and authored The Guidebook to the Hidden Land of Pemakö . Jatsön Nyingpo established the monastic center of Bangri Jogpo and taught many prominent Nyingma and Kagyu masters, influencing figures such as the Tenth Karmapa and Jamgön Kongtrul . His teachings continue to inspire practitioners across traditions. Guidebook The Guidebook to the Hidden Land of Pemokö Jatsön Nyingpo The first guidebook to Pemokö, revealed as a treasure by Jatson Nyinpo, prophesies future degeneration and identifies this sacred hidden land as a sanctuary. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Treasure Revealer Dudul Dorje 1615–1672 BDRC P651 TREASURY OF LIVES PHOTO CREDIT Dudul Dorje, born in 1615 in eastern Tibet's Derge region, was a prominent treasure revealer whose spiritual journey spanned multiple Buddhist traditions. Trained initially in Sakya monasteries, he later embraced Nyingma teachings, receiving profound Dzogchen instructions and undertaking rigorous retreats. Guided by visions and empowered by Padmasambhava, he revealed significant treasure cycles, including texts, sacred objects, and rituals, often while enduring political and personal challenges. His teachings flourished despite resistance, particularly from the Fifth Dalai Lama's administration, and he ultimately found refuge in the southern Tibetan regions of Powo and Kongpo, where he trained influential disciples, opened pilgrimage sites, and preserved esoteric Buddhist practices. Dudul Dorje's legacy endured through his lineage, prominent disciples, and subsequent reincarnations, notably including Dudjom Rinpoche . Instruction Addiction Dudul Dorje Through verse, Dudul Dorje explores addiction and worldly attachments, revealing how these forms of suffering stem from the clinging mind itself. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Khenpo Ngawang Palzang's devotional prayer to Jowo Je Atiśa and his successors captures the essence of spiritual lineage while embodying profound Buddhist devotion. A Prayer to Lord Atiśa and His Spiritual Sons ན་མོ་རཏྣ་ཏྲ་ཡ་ཡ། Namo ratnatrayaya! རྒྱལ་སྲིད་སྤངས་ནས་དཀའ་བ་བརྒྱ་ཕྲག་གིས། ། བླ་མ་བརྒྱ་དང་ལྔ་བཅུ་རྩ་བདུན་བརྟེན། ། ཤེས་བྱ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཡང་དག་ཐུགས་སུ་ཆུད། ། རྒྱལ་བ་གཉིས་པར་གྱུར་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། Having abandoned your kingdom ,[ 1 ] taking on hundreds of hardships, You took the support of 157 gurus. [ 2 ] Everything there is to know, you perfectly mastered. Second Buddha, [ 3 ] to you I pray! རྒྱལ་བའི་མདུན་ན་རྒྱལ་སྲས་བཟང་པོ་སྐྱོང། ། ཁ་བ་ཅན་དུ་དཔལ་ལྡན་མར་མེ་མཛད། ། དགའ་ལྡན་གནས་སུ་ནམ་མཁའ་དྲི་མ་མེད། ། ཡིད་བཞིན་ནོར་བུ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། In the Victor’s presence, you nurture [ 4 ] your noble spiritual sons. [ 5 ] Glorious Illuminator [ 6 ] of the Land of Snows, Stainless Sky in Tuṣita, [ 7 ] Wish-fulfilling jewel, to you I pray! སྒྲོལ་མས་ལུང་བསྟན་རྒྱལ་བུ་དཀོན་མཆོག་འབངས། །ཐུབ་བསྟན་ཡོངས་སུ་རྫོགས་པའི་མངའ་བདག་མཆོག། ། ལྷ་ཆོས་བདུན་ལྡན་ཇོ་བོ་བཀའ་གདམས་པའི། ། རྒྱལ་བའི་འབྱུང་གནས་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། རྒྱལ་ཚབ་དབང་བསྐུར་ར་སྦྲེང་དཔལ་གྱི་གནས། ། རྒྱུད་པ་བདུན་ལྡན་ཇོ་བོའི་མན་ངག་གིས། ། ཞིང་འདིར་ངུར་སྨིག་འཛིན་པས་མཛེས་པར་བྱས། ། གངས་ཅན་མགོན་པོ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Dromtönpa [ 8 ]] Prince Könchok Bang, [ 9 ] prophesied by Tārā, Sublime master of all the Sages’s teachings,Gyalwe Jungne ,[ 10 ] victorious source of the Jowo Kadampa teachings [ 11 ] Brimming with the sevenfold divinity and doctrine, [ 12 ] to you I pray! Invested as the regent of the glorious site of Reting, You beautified it with the pith instructions of the Jowo steeped in the seven lineages ,[ 13 ] And by dressing this realm in saffron robes. [ 14 ] Protector of the Land of Snows, to you I pray! དད་གུས་ཏིང་འཛིན་སྤྱོད་པའི་གཞུང་དྲུག་ལ། ། ཐོས་བསམ་སྤྱོད་པས་བཤད་སྒྲུབ་ཟུང་དུ་འབྲེལ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་གཞུང་པ་ཞེས་གྲགས་པུ་ཏོ་བ། ། འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Putowa] You united theory and practice by studying, contemplating, and practicing The six books associated with faith, respect, meditation, and conduct. [ 15 ] Renowned as the encyclopedia of Kadam—Putowa, Youthful Mañjuśrī, to you I pray! [148] ཤེས་རབ་ཕ་རོལ་ཕྱིན་པའི་མངོན་རྟོགས་ཀུན། ། བདེན་པ་བཞིའི་ལམ་གྱི་རིམ་པ་ཡི། ། གདམས་པའི་ཉམས་མྱོང་བརྒྱུད་འཛིན་སྤྱན་ལྔ་བ། ། ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ཁྱོད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Chen-ngawa] Holder of the experience lineage in the instructions [ 16 ] For all the manifest realizations of the perfection of wisdom[ 17 ] And the graduated path of the four truths—Chen-ngawa, Great Compassionate One,[ 18 ] to you I pray! མན་ངག་གསང་བ་ཐིག་ལེ་བཅུ་དྲུག་གིས། ། ངོ་མཚར་བརྒྱུད་པ་བདུན་ལྡན་སྲོལ་མཛད་པ། ། རྟེན་འབྲེལ་དབང་འབྱོར་དགེ་བཤེས་ཕུ་ཆུང་བ། ། གསང་བའི་བདག་པོ་ཁྱེད་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། [Puchungwa [ 19 ]] With the secret oral instruction of the sixteen drops [ 20 ] You blazed a trail [ 21 ] for the wondrous sevenfold lineage. [ 22 ] Master of interdependence, [ 23 ] spiritual friend Puchungwa, Lord of Secrets, [ 24 ] to you I pray! སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ་ལས་རིམ་པར་འཕེལ་བ་ཡི། ། གཞུང་གདམས་མན་ངག་བསྟན་པ་གྲུ་བཞི་ཏུ། ། འགལ་མེད་སྐྱེས་བུ་གསུམ་གྱི་ཉམས་ལེན་གྱི། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པའི་བཤེས་གཉེན་དམ་པ་རྣམས། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་ཐུགས་རྗེས་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། From the Three Brothers ,[ 25 ] the Kadam lineage Of the three scopes, [ 26 ] harmonious practices, Gradually spread on the four bases of treatise, instruction, pith instruction, and exegesis. [ 27 ] Holy spiritual friends of this lineage— I pray to you! Please grace me with your compassion! མི་ཚེ་ལོས་འཛད་ལོ་ཟླ་ཞག་གིས་འཛད། ། སྐད་ཅིག་མི་སྡོད་འཆི་བའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་ལ། ། རྟག་འཛིན་ཚེ་འདིའི་འཁྲི་བ་སྐྱེ་བའི་ཚེ། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་གཉིས། ། བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས་ཤིག་དགེ་བཤེས་སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཐུགས་རྗེས་ཟུངས། ། Life runs out year by year. Years and months slip away day by day. Not a moment lasts. It is the nature of things to die. When I want things to last forever, when I’m tangled in this life, I pray to you, victorious father and son! [ 28 ] Please bless me, Three Brothers, my spiritual friends! [ 29 ] Masters of the Kadam lineage, please hold me in your compassion! གར་འཆི་ངེས་མེད་གར་འཆིའི་རྐྱེན་མ་ངེས། ། སུ་དང་འགྲོགས་ཀྱང་འཆི་བའི་ངང་ཚུལ་ཅན། ། འབྱོར་རྒུད་མཐོ་མན་འཆི་ལས་མ་འདས་ཀྱང། ། འཆི་མེད་ལྷ་བཞིན་གཡེངས་བས་འཁྲུལ་བའི་ཚེ། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་གཉིས། ། བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས་ཤིག་དགེ་བཤེས་སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཐུགས་རྗེས་ཟུངས། ། No one knows where they will die, and how ones dies is not set in stone. No matter who keeps me company, I am marked for death. [ 30 ] [149] Rich or poor, high or low, no one escapes their demise. When I am confused from letting my mind wander like an immortal god, I pray to you, victorious father and son!Please bless me, Three Brothers, my spiritual friends! Masters of the Kadam lineage, please hold me in your compassion! འཆི་བའི་དུས་ན་ཕ་མ་ཕུ་ནུ་དང་། ། གྲོགས་དང་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་དགྲ་གཉེན་རྗེས་མི་འབྲང་། ། ངེས་པར་ཕན་གནོད་དགེ་སྡིག་གཉིས་ལས་མེད། ། དོན་མེད་ཆོས་མིན་བྱ་བའི་བྲེལ་བའི་ཚེ། ། གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་གཉིས། ། བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས་ཤིག་དགེ་བཤེས་སྐུ་མཆེད་གསུམ། ། བཀའ་གདམས་བརྒྱུད་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཐུགས་རྗེས་ཟུངས། ། When death calls, my father, mother, siblings, companions, Enjoyments, enemies, and friends will not come with me. I know that help and harm only stem from my positive and negative actions; So when I am caught up in pointless activities that take me away from Dharma, I pray to you, victorious father and son!Please bless me, Three Brothers, my spiritual friends! Masters of the Kadam lineage, please hold me in your compassion! སྐྱབས་ཀྱི་མཐར་ཐུག་བསླུ་མེད་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ། ། ཡིད་ཆེས་དད་པས་སྐྱབས་སུ་ལེགས་བརྟེན་ནས། ། རྒྱུ་འབྲས་ཕྲ་མོའི་སྤང་བླང་མ་ནོར་བ། ། སྐྱེས་བུ་གསུམ་གྱི་ལམ་གྱི་རིམ་པ་བདུན། ། རྟོགས་ནས་ཚུལ་བཞིན་འཇུག་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། Undeceiving Three Jewels—my ultimate sources of refuge— I take shelter wholeheartedly in their protection, And I do not err in the subtleties of what to do and not do in light of cause and effect. Once I have understood the seven stages of the three scopes’ paths, [ 31 ] Please bless me to apply them in the right way! མང་དུ་ཐོས་པས་ལོག་པའི་དྲི་མ་སེལ། ། རྣམ་དག་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་གཙང་མས་གཞི་བཟུང་ཞིང་། ། བྱམས་དང་སྙིང་རྗེས་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་འབྱོང་ནས། ། ལྟ་སྤྱོད་རྣམ་པར་དག་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། Studying widely, I clear away misguided distortions. With pure moral discipline, I have set my foundation And, with love and compassion, I train in bodhicitta. [150] Now, please, bless my view and conduct to be utterly pure! གཉེན་གྲོགས་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་ལའང་ལྟོས་མེད་པར། ། ཕྱི་ཚེས་གྲབས་ཤོམས་བློ་སྣ་ལིང་གིས་བསྐྱུར། ། [32] ཉམས་ལེན་ཟབ་མོའི་དོན་དང་མི་འབྲལ་བར། ། རྡོ་རྗེ་གསུམ་པོ་མངོན་དུ་འགྱུར་བར་ཤོག། ། Unconcerned with friends and felicities, I have completely given up on future plans. Never parting from the profound meaning of practice, May the three vajra convictions unfold in me![ 33 ] དམ་ཆོས་སྒྲུབ་ལ་འདུན་པ་གཅིག་ཏུ་དྲིལ། ། གྲོགས་དང་ཕུགས་སྟོང་མཐའ་གཉིས་མི་ལྟུང་པར། ། བྱང་ཆུབ་སྒྲུབ་ལ་ཚེ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པ་ཡི། ། གཏད་པ་བཞི་པོ་མཐའ་རུ་འཁྱོར་བར་ཤོག། ། [34] Fused with the will to practice holy Dharma, With no friends or goals, keeping out of the two extremes, [ 35 ] My whole life spent accomplishing enlightenment— May I arrive at the end of the four ambitions! [ 36 ] མི་ཆོས་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཁྱུ་ནས་ལིང་གིས་བུད། ། ཆོས་བརྒྱད་བྲལ་བའི་སྤྲང་པོའི་ངང་ཚུལ་གྱིས། ། བཀའ་གདམས་གོང་མའི་རྗེས་སུ་སྙོགས་པ་ཡི། ། བུད་སྙོགས་ཐོབ་པ་གསུམ་ལ་དབང་འབྱོར་ཤོག། ། Having banished myself from ordinary pursuits, As a derelict divorced from the eight worldly concerns, Joining up with the Kadam forebears, May I master banishment, joining, and achievement! [ 37 ] མདོར་ན་གེགས་ཀྱིས་ལང་བས་ཆུས་རྫོགས་ཞིང། ། [ 38 ] ལྷམ་སྣ་བསྒྱུར་བས་བན་གཞིས་རྫོགས་པ་ཡི། ། བྱ་བྲལ་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཚེ་འདི་བློས་ཐོང་བའི། །དབེན་པའི་གནས་སུ་སྒྲུབ་པ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་ཤོག། ། In short, motivated by hindrances, I am done with plans. Hitting the road, I am done with monks and townspeople. As a king of nothing to be done, letting go of this life, In solitude, may I reach the end of accomplishment! བདག་ཀྱང་འདི་ནས་ཚེ་འཕོས་གྱུར་མ་ཐག། ། དགའ་ལྡན་ཡིད་དགའ་ཆོས་འཛིན་གྲོང་ཁྱེར་དུ། ། རྒྱལ་བ་ཡབ་སྲས་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྗེས་བཟུང་ཞིང། ། རྫོགས་སྨིན་སྦྱང་བ་རྒྱ་མཚོ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་ནས། ། བསྟན་པའི་བདག་པོ་ཁྱེད་བཞིན་འགྱུར་བར་ཤོག། ། As soon as I, like everyone, pass from this life, In the city of the Delightful Dharma-Den Wonderland, [ 39 ] Under the care the Victorious One and his spiritual sons, Having reached the end of the ocean of completion, [151] maturation, and training, [ 40 ] May I become like you, a master of the teachings! COLOPHON དེ་ལྟར་ཇོ་བོ་ཡབ་སྲས་ཀྱི་གསུང་གླེགས་བམ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་གསུང་བ་བཞིན་བཀོད་པའི་དགེ་བས་བླ་མ་རིན་ཆེན་འདིས་ཚེ་འདི་བློས་ཐོང་ཆགས་ཆེན་འཁྲི་བ་ཆོད་རི་དྭགས་རྨས་མ་རྒྱ་ལས་གྲོལ་བ་བཞིན་མི་མེད་དབེན་པའི་གནས་སུ་རང་གཞན་གྱི་དོན་གཉིས་འགྲུབ་པ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་རིན་པོ་ཆེས་རླན་གྱིས་ཞེ་སྡང་གི་མེ་གསོད་པའི་མཐུན་རྐྱེན་དུ་ཇོ་བོ་ཡབ་སྲས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་ཐར་ལ་མོས་པ་ཆོས་སྨྲ་བའི་བཙན་པ་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་རྒྱ་མཚོས་བྲིས་པ་དགེའོ། ། Through the virtue of this arrangement that reflects the words in the precious volumes of the teachings of the Lord and sons, considering the spiritually nourishing conditions of this precious guru who gave up on this life, cut the fetters of attachment, and who, like a wounded deer escaping from a trap, in a remote place with no people, accomplished his own and others’ benefit and extinguished the fire of hostility with the moisture of precious bodhicitta, this was written by the monastic Dharma teacher, Tsultrim Gyatso, in devoted admiration of the stories of the enlightened lives of the Lord and his sons. NOTES [1] Like Buddha Śākyamuni, Atiśa Dīpaṃkara was born into royalty in Bengal, but he renounced his birthright to pursue spiritual practice. For his biography, see Apple, Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , 2019. [2] According to James B. Apple, “Traditional accounts mention that he had twelve root gurus” (Apple Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , chap.1). The five main gurus from Atiśa’s early life are “the brahmin Jitāri, the scholar-monk Bodhibhadra, the contemplative-monk Vidyākokila, and the tantric yogis Avadhūtipa and Rāhulaguptavajra” (Apple Atiśa Dīpamkara , chap.1). His most important teacher was Serlingpa (a.k.a., Dharmakīrtiśrī) who he met on his travels to Sumatra. Upon his return to India, he studied with Ratnākaraśanti and Kamalarakṣita. In addition to those teachers, biographies say that “the great adept Nāropa instructed him in the vision of emptiness, Doṃbipa in yogic discipline, Balinācārya in tantric ritual, Mahājana in miraculous abilities, Bhutakoṭi in the worship of Vajravārāhī, Paramaśva in the special instructions of Nāgārjuna, Prajñābhadra in the awakening mind, [and] Ratnākaraśānti in the meaning of the commentaries” (Apple Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , chap.1). In Apple’s summary of Atiśa’s traditional biographies, it is said that he “studied the extent of the Buddhist knowledge with one hundred fifty-seven spiritual teachers” during a period of intensive training after he took ordination in the Mahāsāṃghika order at the age of twenty-nine in Bodhgayā. [3] Or, “second victorious one [of our age]” ( rgyal ba gnyis pa ). This epithet is also commonly applied to Nāgārjuna, Guru Rinpoche, and Tsongkhapa. [4] “Nurture” ( skyong / skyong ba , pala ). This is possibly a play on the Sanskrit word pala since Atiśa came from a royal lineage in the Pala Empire, whose leaders took the name. [5] In this line, there is a play on the terms rgyal ba ( jina , “victorious one/conqueror”) and rgyal sras ( jinaputra , “son or daughter of the victorious ones”). In Buddhist contexts, these terms usually refer to buddhas and bodhisattvas. Just above, Atiśa was referred to as the “Second Buddha,” and his sons are his main students who are evoked in the verses that follow. Rather than dwell on the “victor” root of each term here, we translated them more loosely for the sake of elegance and syllabic economy. [6] “Illuminator” ( mar me mdzad , dīpaṃkara ) the second part of Atiśa’s name. [7] When Atiśa passed away, he informed his students that he would next take birth as a son of a god in Tuṣita Heaven named Stainless Sky [ dri med nam mhka’ ] (Apple Atiśa Dīpaṃkara , chap. 2). [8] For Dromtönpa’s biography, see Gardner, “Dromton Gyelwa Junge,” 2010. [9] Prince Könchok Bang. One of Dromtönpa’s twenty-two prior birth stories recorded in the Book of Kadam (Jinpa 2013, 655, n. 484). For a brief summary of this story, see Roesler A Palace for Those Who Have Eyes to See , 134). [10] “Victory’s Source” or “victorious source” ( rgyal ba’i ’byung gnas ), an epithet for Dromtönpa. For Dromtönpa’s biography, see Gardner, “Dromton Gyelwa Junge,” 2010. [11] Jowo ( jo bo ) is an honorific title akin to “lord” or “venerable.” It is particularly applied to Atiśa, who is often referred to as Jowo Je (“venerable lord”). Kadampa refers to a member of the Kadam lineage founded by Atiśa. [12] “Sevenfold divinity and doctrine” is a term for the core teachings of the Kadam tradition. These include teachings related to four main divine figures (Tārā, Avalokiteśvara, Buddha Śākyamuni, and the protector Acala) and the three sections or piṭakas of the Buddhist canon (Vinaya, Sūtra, Abhidharma). According to Thupten Jinpa, “A fifteenth-century history of the Kadam order offers four different explanations of the name. First, Kadam may be defined as ‘those for whom the essence of the entire Buddhist scripture is integrated within the path of the three scopes—the spiritual aspirations of initial, intermediate, and advance capacities—and for whom all the scriptures of the Buddha appear as personal instructions.’ A second interpretation of the meaning of Kadam suggests that the tradition is so called ‘because the Kadam founding father, Dromtönpa, chose, in accordance with the sacred instruction of Master Atiśa, the sevenfold divinity and teaching as his principal practice.’ ‘Sevenfold’ refers to the threefold teaching (the baskets of monastic discipline, discourses, and knowledge) and the four divinities (Buddha, Avalokiteśvara, Tārā, and Acala). A third interpretation is that when Master Atiśa was residing at Nyethang his disciples accorded great authority to his sacred words, so they came to be known as ‘Kadampas’—those who hold the sacred words as binding. The final interpretation is that the Kadampas are guided by the three baskets of scripture in their overall Dharma practice and approach Vajrayana teachings and practices circumspectly (Jinpa Wisdom of the Kadam Masters , intro). [13] These seven are most likely the same as the “sevenfold divinity and doctrine” in note thirteen. [14] Saffron robes ( ngur smig , kaṣāya or kāṣāya ), a metonym for the monastic tradition in general. [15] These are: (1) Asaṅga’s Bodhisattva Levels ; (2) Maitreya’s Ornament of Mahāyāna Sūtras ; (3) Śantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and (4) Compendium of Trainings ; (5) Āryaśūra’s Garland of Birth Stories ; and (6) the Collection of Aphorisms , attributed to the historical Buddha. The study of these treatises is complemented with further Indian Buddhist classics like Nāgārjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way , his Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness , and Atiśa’s Entry into the Two Truths and An Instruction on the Middle Way (Jinpa 2008, 9). See also Gardner 2009. [16] According to Thupten Jinpa (2008, 9), “Chengawa’s Kadam lineage of pith instructions [ man ngag, upadeśa ] emphasizes an approach whereby Atiśa’s essential instructions, rather than classical treatises, are the key basis for practice.” For Chengawa’s biography, see Sonam Rinchen “Chennga Tsultrim Bar,” 2020. [17] Perfection of wisdom ( shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa , prajñāparamitā ) carries a rich range of meanings. In his annotations to The Book of Kadam , Thupten Jinpa provides the following gloss: “One of the six perfections that lie at the heart of the practice of the bodhisattva. The term refers also to a specific subdivision of the Mahāyāna scriptures that outline the essential aspects of the meditation on emptiness and their associated paths and resultant states. The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, the Heart Sutra, and the Diamond Cutter are some of the most well-known Perfection of Wisdom scriptures. In The Book of Kadam the term is often used as an epithet for Perfection of Wisdom Mother, a feminine divinity that embodies the perfection of wisdom of a fully awakened buddha” (Jinpa 2008, 673). [18] An epithet of Avalokiteśvara. [ 19] For Puchungwa’s biography, see Gardner 2009c. [20] The sixteen drops are: (1) the drop of the outer inconceivable array; (2) the drop of this World Endured; (3) the drop of the realm of Tibet; (4) the drop of one’s abode and the drawn mandala; (5) the drop of Perfection of Wisdom Mother; (6) the drop of her son, Buddha Śākyamuni; (7) the drop of Great Compassion; (8) the drop of Wisdom Tārā; (9) the drop of her wrathful form; (10) the drop of Acala, their immutable nature; (11) the drop of Atiśa; (12) the drop of Dromtön Gyalwe Jungne; (13) the drop of the vast practice of the bodhisattva; (14) the drop of the profound view of emptiness; (15) the drop of the inspirational practice; (16) the drop of great awakening (Jinpa 2008, 13–14). On these practices, Thupten Jinpa writes, “The idea of the sixteen-drops practice is fairly straightforward. Like a powerful camera lens zooming from the widest possible angle to a progressively smaller focus and, finally, to a tiny point, the meditation becomes increasingly focused, moving from the entire cosmos to this world in particular, to the realm of Tibet, to the practitioner’s own dwelling, and finally culminating within your own body. Within your body, you then visualize inside your heart the Perfection of Wisdom Mother, within whose heart is her son, Buddha Śākyamuni. Within the Buddha’s heart is Great Compassion Avalokiteśvara, within whose heart is Tara, and so on, continuing with wrathful Tārā, Acala, Atiśa, and Dromtönpa. Within Dromtönpa’s heart you then visualize Maitreya surrounded by the masters of the line age of vast practice. In his heart you visualize Nāgārjuna surrounded by the masters of the lineage of profound view; and within his heart you visualize Vajradhara surrounded by the masters of the lineage of inspirational practice. Finally, inside Vajradharas heart, you visualize yourself as a buddha, embodying all three buddha bodies, and within your heart is a white drop the size of a mustard seed. This seed increases in size and turns into a vast radiant jewel container at the center of which your mind is imagined as a yellow drop the size of a pea. This, in turn, increases in size and turns into an ocean of drops the color of refined gold; the ocean is transparent, smooth, resolute, vast, and pervasive, and it reflects all forms. You then rest your mind, without wavering, upon this drop of great awakening, fused, and free of any sense of subject-object duality” (Jinpa 2008, 14). [21] “Blazed a trail” renders srol mdzad pa , the honorific form of the verb srol ’byed pa , which has the sense of initiating a new way within an already established tradition ( srol gtod pa ). According to Thupten Jinpa, “Phuchungwa is most revered as the founder of the ‘Kadam lineage of pith instructions’ and as the inheritor of Atiśa and Dromtönpa’s teachings enshrined in the Book of Kadam . He is also credited with being the source of the mind-training practice known as the ‘heart of dependent origination,’ a text of which can be found in Mind Training: The Great Collection ” (Jinpa 2013, part I.3). [22] Again, this refers to the “sevenfold divinity and doctrine” seen above. [23] As mentioned, Puchungwa specifically transmitted the Kadam pith instructions ( man ngag , upadeśa ) on interdependence/dependent origination (Jinpa 2008, 9; Jinpa 2013, part I.3). [24] An epithet of Vajrapāṇi. [25] The Three Brothers ( sku mched gsum ) are Putowa, Chen-ngawa, and Puchungwa. [26] Three scopes (skyes bu gsum). According to Thupten Jinpa, “The three scopes refer to the practitioners of initial, intermediate, and advanced scopes or capacities. Atiśa’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment presents the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment in terms of meditative practices appropriate to these three differing capacities—the initial, who seeks only a refuge from the fears of rebirth in the lower realms; the intermediate, who principally seeks freedom from cyclic existence; and the advanced, who seeks full awakening for the benefit of all beings” (Jinpa 2008, 676). [27] We do not find this fourfold grouping elsewhere in the literature. It seems that Khenpo Ngaga means that the Kadam teachings continued to develop through the media of (1) treatises ( gzhung )—root texts laying out a key theme); (2) instructions ( gdams pa ) or oral instructions ( gdams ngag ) that have passed down through the lineage for generations; (3) upadeśa , or pith instructions ( man ngag ), which are personal, practical oral instructions from guru to disciple; and (4) exegesis ( bstan pa ), a general term for teachings, but often with the sense of commentarial or exegetical literature, as in the Tibetan Tengyur ( bstan ’gyur ), the translated commentaries of the Indian Mahāyāna masters. The first line of this stanza contains the word rim pa (stage/gradual), which may be a nod to the Lamrim ( lam rim , “Stages of the Path”) literature influenced by the Kadam approach of careful, deliberate contemplation and meditation. Famous examples of this genre include Gampopa’s Ornament of Precious Liberation and Tsongkhapa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path . [28] Atiśa and Dromtönpa [29] Putowa, Chen-ngawa, and Puchungwa. [30] “Marked for death” renders ’chi ba’i ngang tshul can . A more literal translation might say, “I have a disposition to die.” [31] The “seven stages” in this line are difficult to identify with certainty. The term is not used in Atiśa’s original Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Atiśa 1973) or Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (Dowd 2021), nor does it appear in The Book of Kadam (Jinpa 2008) or the teachings compiled in Wisdom of the Kadam Masters (Jinpa 2013). The most fitting reference we find is to a seven-step contemplation discussed in Tsongkhapa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path , vol 2. Tsongkhapa calls this teaching the “seven cause-and-effect personal instructions [ rgyu ’bras man ngag bdun ] in the lineage descended from the Great Elder [Atiśa]” (Tsong-kha-pa 2004, 28). These seven stages are (1) recognizing all beings as your mothers; (2) recollecting their kindness; (3) wishing to repay that kindness; (4) love; (5) compassion; (6) wholehearted resolve; (7) bodhicitta , or awakening mind. (See also Sherburne 1983, 62, n. 2; Sopa 1976, xxii). On Khenpo Ngaga’s deep faith in Tsongkhapa, see Ngawang Palzang 2013, 47, 144, 153, 189, 216. [32] The term for “plans” in this line is usually spelled grabs gshom . Here the spelling is grab shams , which may be a regional variant, but is more likely simply a misspelling, since grabs and gshom pa are both etymologically related to “preparation.” We have amended the Tibetan here to grabs shoms since shoms is at least a valid form of the verb gshom pa . [33] Normally, the three vajras are the three doors of body, speech, and mind infused with wisdom. In the Kadam context, however, they refer to the “three vajra [convictions],” which, along with the “four aims” and the “three ranks or achievements,” make up the Ten Innermost Jewels of the Kadam tradition [ phugs nor bcu ] (See Zopa 2012, 169–188). The Kadam three vajras are (1) the uncaptured vajra ( thegs med rdo rje ): not allowing friends and family to get in the way of one’s single-minded practice; (2) the shameless vajra ( khrel med rdo rje ): not caring what people think or say about you in your pursuit of enlightenment; (3) the wisdom vajra ( ye shes rdo rje ), which Lama Zopa says, “means we resolve never to break the promise we have made to practice pure Dharma by renouncing this life. Completely turning away from all that is essenceless and meaningless, we make the firm, unshakable, indestructible determination to make our life equal with the holy Dharma” (Zopa 2012, 184). [34] Tibetan amended from phugs stong to phug stong . [35] The two extremes are nihilistic and eternalistic views. [36] The four aims, or ambitions, or entrustments ( gtad pa bzhi or gtad sa bzhi ), along with the three vajras and four achievements, make up the ten innermost jewels of the Kadam tradition [ phugs nor bcu ]. The Rangjung Yeshe Translation Group translates these four in the following way: “Aim your mind at the Dharma. Aim your Dharma practice at simple living. Aim at simple living for your entire life. Aim your death at solitude.” ( https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/gtad_pa_bzhi ). See Rigpa Shedra’s entry for “Four Ambitions”; Jinpa 2013, intro; and Zopa 2012, 169–179). [37] Along with the four aims and three vajras, expulsion/banishment, joining, and achievement ( bud snyegs / snyogs thob gsum ) round out the ten innermost jewels of the Kadam tradition. (1) “Expulsion/Banishment” means the achievement of being self-ostracized from ordinary society and the ways of normal people ( mi gral nas bud ); (2) “joining” means joining the company of dogs ( khyi gral snyegs ), which should be respected for their loyalty and perseverance in the face of hardship and abuse; (3) “achieving” means achieving the rank of a divine (viz., enlightened) being ( lha gral thob ). See Zopa 2012, 184–188. [38] Unable to locate this prayer in the 2017 Sichuan edition of Khenpo Ngaga’s Collected Works , we have speculatively amended the Tibetan of this line, which reads geg gi lang bas in the original—a grammatically and semantically problematic phrase: geg is one word for cancer, which is then followed by a genitive particle, then the instrumentalized present tense of the verb lang ba (“to rise/get up”). Taking that literally is extremely awkward and would result in something like “With the arising of [the] cancer,” which would only make sense if the cancer were taken as a metaphor for disillusionment ( skyo shes ) with saṃsāra. We think it is much more likely that there are simply a couple of scribal errors in the line. Thus, geg is amended to gegs (“hindrance”) and genitive gi is amended to instrumental particle kyis according to spelling rules. This gives us a much clearer and predictable meaning, “persuaded/motivated/affected by hindrances.” [39] “Delightful Dharma-Den Wonderland” is a slightly more euphonious alternative to the more literal “Pleasant Doctrine-Bearing Joyous Place” ( dga ldan yid dga’ chos ’dzin ) (Gedun 1989, 143). The term refers to Maitreya’s abode adjoining Tuṣita Heaven. Geshe Gedun Lodö explains, “There is a place called the Joyous [ dga’ ldan ], which is one of the six areas of Desire Realm gods. There is in the Joyous a pure land called the Pleasant Doctrine-Bearing Joyous Place. The Protector Maitreya lives there. The Joyous itself is contained within cyclic existence because it is one of the six areas of dogs of the Desire Realm; it is not a pure land. However, the Pleasant Doctrine-Bearing Joyous Place is a pure land. It is in the Joyous but away from it, just as monasteries are within cities but at a distance from them” (Gedun 1989, 143). [40] Completion, maturation, and training ( rdzogs smin sbyang ) refer to completing the two accumulations, ripening or maturing beings, and training in pure perception (Ngawang Pelzang 2004, 111, 125, 183, 194, 254). Published: September 2023 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Photo credit: Tsadra Foundation BIBLIOGRAPHY SOURCE TEXT Lama Munsel Tsultrim Gyatso (bla ma mun sel tshul khrims rgya mtsho), and Khenpo Ngaga (mkhan po ngag dgaʼ). jo bo yab sras la gsol ʼdebs . In gsung ʼbum ngag dbang dpal bzang , vol. 3, 155–60. BDRC MW22946_493CEB . TIBETAN REFERENCES Atīśa. byang chub lam gyi rim pa . Leh, Ladakh: Thupten Tsering, 1973. BDRC MW1KG506 . ———. byang chub lam gyi sgron ma. In bstan ʼgyur ( sde dge ), edited by zhu chen tshul khrims rin chen, translated by rma lo tsA ba dge baʼi blo gros, vol. 111, 447–83. Delhi: Karmapae Choedhey, Gyalwae Sungrab Partun Khang, 1982–1985. BDRC MW23703_3947 . SECONDARY REFERENCES Apple, James B. Atiśa Dīpaṃkara: Illuminator of the Awakened Mind . Boulder: Shambhala, 2019. Ebook. Atiśa. A Lamp for the Path and Commentary . Translated by Richard Sherburne. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1983. Dowd, Patrick. 2021. “Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment.” Lotsawa House. 2021. https://www.lotsawahouse.org/indian-masters/atisha/lamp-path-enlightenment . Dowman, Keith, trans. Sky Dancer: The Secret Live and Songs of Yeshe Tsogyel . Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1996. Gardner, Alexander. “Puchungwa Zhonnu Gyeltsen.” Treasury of Lives. 2009. http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Puchungwa-Zhonnu-Gyeltsen/6452 . ———. “Dromton Gyelwa Jungne.” Treasury of Lives. 2010. http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Dromton-Gyelwa-Jungne/4267 . ———. “Potowa Rinchen Sel.” Treasury of Lives. 2021. http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Potowa-Rinchen-Sal/5786 . Gampopa. Ornament of Precious Liberation . Translated by Ken Holmes. Boston: Wisdom, 2017. Gedun, Lodö. Calm Abiding and Special Insight: Achieving Spiritual Transformation Through Meditation . Translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1998. Jinpa, Thupten, ed. The Book of Kadam: The Core Texts . 1st ed. The Library of Tibetan Classics, v. 2. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008. ——— . Wisdom of the Kadam Masters . Boston: Wisdom, 2013. Ebook. Ngawang Pelzang, Khenpo. A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher . Translated by Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala, 2004. Ngawang Palzang, Khenpo. Wondrous Dance of Illusion: The Autobiography of Khenpo Ngawang Palzang . Translated by Heidi L. Nevin and Jakob Leschly. Boston: Snow Lion, 2013. Pitkin, Annabella. Renunciation and Longing: The Life of a Twentieth-Century Himalayan Buddhist Saint . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2022. Rangjung Yeshe Translation Group. “gtad pa bzhi.” Rywiki.tsadra.org . https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/gtad_pa_bzhi . Rigpa Shedra. “Four Ambitions.” Rigpawiki.org . https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Four_ambitions . Roesler, Ulrike. “A Palace for Those Who Have Eyes to See: Preliminary Remarks on the Symbolic Geography of Reting (Rwa-Sgreng).” Acta Orientalia Vilnensia 8 , no. 1 (2007): 123–44. Sonam Dorje. “Chennga Tsultrim Bar.” Treasury of Lives. 2020. https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Chennga-Tsultrim-Bar/5820 Sopa, Lhundup and Jeffrey Hopkins. Practice and Theory of Tibetan Buddhism . New York: Grove, 1976. Tsong-kha-pa. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment , 3 vols. Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Boston: Snow Lion, 2014. Zopa, Lama. How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas . Edited by George McDougal. Boston: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2012. Abstract Khenpo Ngawang Palzang's heartfelt prayer dedicated to Lord Atiśa, affectionately referred to as Jowo Je, and his esteemed spiritual successors beautifully embodies the profound devotion inherent in Tibetan Buddhism, all the while imparting a profound understanding of the sacred lineage. BDRC LINK MW22946_ 493CEB DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 06:28 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE None HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS Lodrö Gyatso The First Drukpa Kuchen, Chöying Rölpe Dorje Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Gyaltsen Khenchen Gyaltsen Özer Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Nyima Sönam Palden Kunzang Palden The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje The Fifth Shechen Rabjam, Pema Tegchok Tenpe Gyaltsen Sönam Chöpel The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo Tsultrim Norbu Dorzin Namdröl Mipam Gyatso TRANSLATOR Dr. Joseph McClellan INSTITUTIONS Palyul Monastery Katok Monastery Dzogchen Monastery STUDENTS Tulku Könchok Drakpa Adzom Gyalse Gyurme Dorje Khenpo Nuden Legshe Jorden Lama Drönma Tsering Khenchen Gyaltsen Özer Tsultrim Yönten Gyatso Chatral Sangye Dorje The Fourth Chagtsa, Kunzang Pema Trinle The Fourth Drutob Namkha Gyatso, Zhepe Dorje Khenchen Tsewang Rigzin The Second Dzongsar Khyentse, Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö Botrul Dongak Tenpe Nyima Jampal Drakpa Khen Dampa Pema Ribur Tulku Gyalten Ngawang Gyatso Tromge Arik Tulku Tenpe Nyima Nyagtö Khenpo Gedun Gyatso Lama Munsel Tsultrim Gyatso Gojo Khenchen Karma Tashi Gyara Khenchen Gönpo Orgyen Chemchok Yoru Gyalpo The Third Zhichen Vairo, Pema Gyaltsen Togden Lama Yönten Lakar Togden Polu Khenpo Dorje Khunu Rinpoche Tenzin Gyaltsen Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje Lungtrul Shedrub Tenpe Nyima Khenpo Rinpoche Sönam Döndrub Khen Lodrö Khenpo Pema Samdrub The Second Palyul Chogtrul, Jampal Gyepe Dorje The Second Penor, Rigzin Palchen Dupa AUTHOR Khenpo Ngawang Palzang A Prayer to Lord Atiśa and His Spiritual Sons VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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Teacher The Seventh Dzogchen Tenzin Lungtok Nyima Rinpoche b. 1974– BDRC P8686 PHOTO CREDIT Tenzin Lungtok Nyima Rinpoche was born in 1974 in the Baré region of lower Amdo. At the age of seven, he chose to pursue monastic life at Dzogchen Monastery. There, he was raised and educated by senior figures, including his uncle Dzogchen Pema Kalzang Rinpoche. At fifteen, he joined Śrī Siṃha College, where he formally took ordination and began advanced studies in Tibetan grammar, poetry, and Buddhism. By eighteen, he was appointed assistant professor. At twenty-seven, he took full ordination and was formally recognized with the title of Khenpo, becoming an established academic and educator within the Nyingma tradition. Tenzin Lungtok Nyima was formally recognized as the Seventh Dzogchen Rinpoche by Dogden Lama, who publicly acknowledged him during a teaching session by placing a ceremonial scarf around his neck and presenting a handwritten prophecy. 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 Biography Of Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso Tenzin Lungtok Nyima Getse Lama Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, disciple of Jigme Lingpa and founder of Kilung Monastery, spread the Longchen Nyingtik teachings while establishing his own enduring legacy. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Nun, Physician & Treasure Revealer Do Dasal Wangmo 1928–2018 BDRC P1GS60402 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE PHOTO CREDIT Nun, physician, and treasure revealer, Do Dasal Wangmo was a well-respected female master in eastern Tibet. She was the great-granddaughter of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje and the last member of his family line. Her religious affinity and familial connections allowed her to follow a contemplative, studious, and altruistic lifestyle as a monastic physician and professor of Tibetan medicine. Although briefly imprisoned and under difficult circumstances for fourteen years, she was later allowed to practice medicine and was appointed to government-funded medical schools in Kham. Biography Abridged Biographies: The Lineage of the Do Family Do Dasal Wangmo Chronicling Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje's lineage, with special attention to his half-sister Losal Drölma - an honored teacher whose story emerges from the margins of temple narratives. Read Translated Works Biography The Biography of Gyalse Rigpe Raltri Tubten Chödar Son of Do Khyentse and recognized as Jigme Lingpa's son's reincarnation, Rigpe Raltri became a revered Minyak guru, transmitting the Yangsang Khandro Tugtik treasures to his own son. Read Timetable A Chronological Timetable: Lives of Do Khyentse’s Familial Line Tubten Chödar A chronology of birth and death dates mapping Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje's family lineage through its key figures and connections. Read Biography A Brief Biography of Jetsunma Do Dasal Wangmo Tsangpo A renowned female master in eastern Tibet, Do Dasal Wangmo - Do Khyentse's great-granddaughter - served as nun, physician, and treasure revealer, later teaching medicine despite political hardship. Read Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

In this 1245 dream vision at Palpuk Ring, Guru Chöwang encounters his recurring guide, a ḍākinī named Yeshe Gyen, at his childhood home - sparking profound symbolic revelations of dharmic truth. The Great Symbolic Vision at Palpuk Ring: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Homage to Guru Pema Tötrengtsal! Namo! In the summer of the Wood Female Snake year (1245), on the tenth day of the Dog month, at Palpuk Ring (“Glorious Long Cave”), located at the supreme and exalted sacred site of Kharchu in Lodrak, I was performing a ritual feast with torma offerings and empowerment at Guru Pema’s abode of accomplishment. It was at that time that I, the monk Chökyi Wangchuk, [1] had a dream at dawn. I was sitting before Pang Village, [2] taking in my homeland, and a white girl with a cowrie headdress came to me. She pointed towards my house and inquired, “Who built this place?” “My parents built it.” “That’s not true—where are your parents now?” Remembering that my parents had passed away, I leaned against the door, tears flowing in my grief. I felt uncertain about the situation and wondered if my parents were still inside, so I cried in sorrow: “Papa, you home? Mama, you’re there, no?” From the depth of my heart, I asked if my parents were there, and as I went longing for my loving parents, I called out, “Please open the door. Open this door, please!” A faint, ethereal voice replied: “You’ve never had parents, and you don’t have them now. Though you may cry out for them, they will not come into being.” Struck hard with utter despair and torment, I cried, “If I’ve never had parents, where did I first come from? Where am I in the meantime? Where will I go in the end … who are you?!” [365] “You’ve never even been born,” the voice answered. “You haven’t even come from anywhere! You’re baseless and don’t abide anywhere. Being causeless, you’ll never be anything in the end. Now, as for me, I don’t exist. I am empty resonance—Guru, heed this: “Parents are concepts of erroneous self-grasping. Like a person whose heart has been ripped out, Remain in great equanimity, however much you can. For a father, mother, and son, there’s no such thing as uniting or separating. Understanding this is primordial wisdom (Yeshe), And all suffering is ornamentation (Gyen).” Upon hearing this, I was freed from all the longing and grief I had for my parents, and while abiding vividly in self-aware emptiness and clarity devoid of grasping, I somehow found myself atop the rocky Palpuk Ring together with Yeshe Gyen (“Primordial-Wisdom Ornamentation”). Staring into the sky, she prostrated repeatedly. I also looked and the entire sky appeared to be swathed in a thick expanse of rainbow-like clouds and mist. Atop Dragri Senge Karmo (“White-Lioness Stone Mountain”) a black man stood, as immense as a mountain, with braids of writhing black serpents and flames flaring from his mouth that scorched the surrounding vegetation and woodlands. Upon his crown, where the sun and moon conjoined, was Mahā Guru Pema Tötreng, cross-legged in the center of a lotus swirling with sunlight. Dark blue and adorned with the six born ornaments, his hair was tied up and he donned a diadem with navy silk. He held a vajra and bell in his hands as his three eyes gazed piercingly. Various voices came from the many heads of his skull garland draped diagonally across his chest. In front, embracing him was Machik Jomo Nazhön Dzema (“Sole-Mother Lady, Young and Beautiful”), who had the raiment of a goddess, and ḍākinīs adorned with the six bone ornaments surrounded him. [366] They all bowed to the Guru in his intimate embrace and offered him nectar. Under his right knee, he pinned down a lion as well as a peacock under his left, while beneath his two crossed legs, he pinned down a swine, snake, and bird. From the mouth of the swine shone dark blue light, white from the snake, and red from the bird, rising like smoke. At the tip of these was a five-pronged crystal vajra. A white OṂ, a red A, and a dark blue HŪṂ radiated from and reabsorbed into the Guru’s three places. On his right side danced the five classes of heroes, while the five classes of heroines danced on the left. Goddesses of the five sensory delights and many hosts of ḍākinīs encircled him. Great flags of victory were planted on the four corners of his seat. Divine attendants danced in all directions while holding various musical instruments. Seeing him amidst this encirclement as dense as clouds, I also prostrated, supplicated, and spoke these words: “Kyeho! This excellent, supreme sacred site is delightful! Lhodrak Kharcu is so joyous! Palpuk Ring is lovely! I’m overjoyed at the Guru’s arrival! Guru, with your hosts of ḍākinīs and gings , Confer empowerment upon me and bless me! Compassionately care for the six classes of beings, Venerable One, open your heart’s secret door, And turn the wheel of the Dharma, please!” In light of this request, Mahā Guru Gyalpo looked into the sky and spoke: “Primordially selfless, this reflexive awareness, Out of nowhere, rises as any aspect whatsoever. If you know to rest without grasping, You will realize total natural liberation, devoid of clinging.” Having uttered these words, he entered contemplation. Machik Jomo then stood up in front of him. Looking at me she said: [367] “Although all the Dharma doors are condensed in empowerment, This is the authorization of enlightened body, speech, and mind. If you wish to attain undefiled bliss, Destroy grasping at defiled pleasure.” Having said this, she embraced the father (Guru Rinpoche). Then ten great ḍākinīs Each arose and in unison Propounded the following profound, excellent Dharma: “First, relying upon a knowledgeable physician, To diagnose the disease—vomit, urinate, and defecate. The medicinal compound expels the chronic illness from within. Without rejecting the illnesses, all maladies are cured.” Then the five classes of heroes on the right Performed a dance and spoke: “If you wish to approach and accomplish the hero, Approach primordial spontaneity and simplicity. Realizing that is close approach. Abiding in such a state is accomplishment. Manifesting that is great accomplishment. This is the pith instruction that encompasses all approach and accomplishment.” Having said this, they laughed, “haha!” and danced about. Then the five classes of ḍākinīs on the left Danced and sang and said: “If you wish to approach and accomplish the ḍākinī, Primordial self-grasping is the ḍākinī. Mentally constructing it as such is approach. Realizing that itself is close approach. Abiding in such a state is accomplishment. Mastering that is great accomplishment.” Having spoken, they continued their dance. Thus, to the Guru’s manifestation, I, out of delight, joy, and awe, Offered a kusulu [3] gaṇacakra. Then, the Guru spoke again: “All that appears and exists is a symbolic teaching. Specifically, this manifestation of mine Is a symbol of the supreme path of liberation. So, decode the symbolic meaning, son of a noble family.” Thus he spoke, and as I deciphered the symbol, The Guru [368] was pleased and continued: “Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, existence and non-existence, Periphery and center—all are myself. Elaboration and simplicity are my path. All forms, sounds, and negative thoughts Are my supreme body, speech, and mind. All hopes and fears, including what to accept or reject, Are displays of me, Orgyen. Faults and virtues, good and bad—these are my companions. Everything is primordial wisdom, my ornamentation. All sentient beings to be tamed are utterly perfect. Everything is the dharmakāya, my dimension. Anything is acceptable. Nothing exists. Since everything is perfected in the equanimous state, How could there be accomplishment or something to accomplish? Everything is my magical display. Even though your visions are unfathomable, They are wholly complete in me, Orgyen. Take a body as an example. It has limbs, other parts, and conditions. Through the power of self-awareness, they are perfect within it. Everything is the saṃbhogakāya of Orgyen. Whoever sees my nature, That person who is aligned with ultimate reality, Naturally liberates even the Three Supreme Jewels, Naturally liberates the six classes: sentient beings, Naturally liberates conceptions of good and bad, Naturally purifies karma, cause, and effect, Naturally exhausts all mentally fabricated phenomena, Naturally liberates pure vision and delusion, And destroys hopes, fears, and fixation. All the faces of the sugatas are perceived at this time. The nectar of the Dharma is imbibed at this time. The darkness of saṃsāra is dispelled at this time. The great poisons of beings are expunged at this time. The sun’s rays of compassion dawn at this time. The lord of the Dharma is attained at this time. Buddhahood of pure vision without delusion And the Buddha’s teachings are established at this time. The saṅgha is exalted at this time. The precious treasures are encountered at this time. The guru of self-awareness is faced at this time. Appearances are brought under control here at this time.” As soon as these words were spoken, The Guru, his retinue, and all magical displays, Vanished [369] in the sky, and there The sun and moon arose simultaneously— Their light filled the world. And even this billion-fold world system Appeared like a splayed tent of [five-colored] silk brocade. For a moment, it was a magnificent, spectacle. After that, Lady Yeshe Gyen Pulled a mirror from her waist And offering to me, she said: “As soon as I met the Guru, I obtained undying faith. To be ever-connected, At Tsongdu Gurmo, [he] showed [me this] symbol. All those connected nearby also Follow me and the Guru, And to them, I have shown this symbol, Which I now humbly offer.” Having said this, she removed her caprine garment, And naked she pranced around three times. Then having torn it into four caprine pieces, They became four brocade garments. These she hung on a cedar tree. “Here in this supreme place, the secluded abode of Kharchu, As long as the wind does not topple this tree, Four people who delight in practice will come, Who are capable of benefiting beings. So, dress them in these four garments,” she said. Then, she split her belt in half, And the two became black snakes. “In this place, Pekar Nagpo Transformed his consciousness into two monks. While living here, for all Dharma practitioners, They create obstacles. After passing to the next life, They will be samaya-breaking demons towards all Dharma practitioners, Bind their necks with these two snakes And subdue them under the Vairocana cakra. Last year, after my death, From the seventh day on, for one month, I remained together with a group of gandharvas. Then I went on a pilgrimage to Lhasa. Over in Tsangrong, I stayed for half a month. At Mawochokpo, [4] I stayed for a month. Until last night I have been purifying myself. [370] I’ve been offering clarified butter with burnt offerings ( sur ). I offered torma to the wicked person, Who was trying to cause me harm. Now that you have come, Guru, wherever you go, Don’t leave me behind but take me along, I beg of you! Yöntsun Gompa brought this small turquoise And relics that were given by the Guru. Luck brought this groundless mind of mine. [5] Write my name and form on this silk And put it into a receptacle, then take it wherever you reside. My companionship with the Guru will never waiver. Keep me secretly at your chest.” As soon as I put it there, I woke up. While thinking that it was in my heart, I wrote “easy,” but there was nothing to grasp. [6] Though it was a deluded appearance, I was filled with longing: While praying for guardianship, I fell asleep and in my vision Four girls with cowrie headdresses appeared And sang this song with soft, radiant voices. “Emaho! DHARMASARVA TETE ŚUDDHE HO YĪ! When everything is realized to be one, that oneness is inconceivable, and afflictions are severed as they are. When the essence of all phenomena is realized, there is no place for afflictions to arise. As the self is inconceivable, there is no one to generate afflictions. The severing of afflictions in their own state is the Buddha’s intent. SARVADHARMA TENATETE ŚUDA DHE HO!" Now here are the lyrics for their rhythmic dance: “Emaho! The phenomenal world is the guru’s body. The three realms sway as symbols— shik se shik. OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: All sounds are the guru’s speech. Resonance reverberates as Dharma— si li li . OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: All thoughts are the guru’s mind. Cognizance blazes as primordial wisdom— wa la la. OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: Dancing as external objects, Hosts of wisdom deities flash— ya la la. OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: Dancing as internal subjectivity, They vibrate [371] in a state of non-grasping— cha la la . OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: Dancing neither externally nor internally, They flicker as the great unimpededness— ta la la . OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: A dance that reverberates in the dharmadhātu, They take enormous joy in great simplicity! OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: A dance that reverberates in the saṃbhogakāya realms, They delight in the ornamental display of sensual pleasures. OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: A dance that reverberates in the nirmāṇakāya realms, Appearances sway as emanations— shik se shik .” OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ: Then these four girls: One resided in the expanse of space, And her dance pervaded space. One resided in the sky, And her dance pervaded the sky. One resided at the confluence of three valleys, And her dance pervaded the earth. One introduced the dances: “If you realize the meaning of space, the dharmadhātu, Conceptuality is the dance of the dharmakāya. If you realize the meaning of self-arisen primordial wisdom, Sounds are the dance of the saṃbhogakāya. If you realize the meaning of the single, unique sphere, Phenomenal existence is the dance of the nirmāṇakāya. When subject-object fixation is liberated as it is, It is the dance of the Great Perfection. The meaning indicated by this song and dance, Is the view free from reference points. Fortunate one, when you understand it— Go into the sandalwood forest. Go to a land where wild bamboo grows. Go to a place where sālu grows. Realizing the indivisibility of appearance and emptiness, Rest in the natural fundamental state, And enjoy the seed of unobstructedness. This symbolic meaning, endowed with the two truths, Is your instruction, Chöwang.” After this, she gathered those dancing in space, the sky, and on earth into herself. Facing the sun in the south, she said, “If all yogis on the path remain on the path, follow me, follow me, follow me! They will certainly traverse [372] from bliss to bliss! They will certainly traverse from bliss to bliss! They will certainly traverse from bliss to bliss! The vast benefit for beings will emerge, will emerge, will emerge!” Saying this, she flew off into the south and disappeared. Upon waking up back at home, I vomited three times. In mere conventional terms, I did not know whether this was a good or bad thing. At the overwhelming behest of all my retinue, I put these last parts of my dream into writing. This was “A Great Symbolic Dream of Chöwang the Monk.” Iṭi. [7] Emaho! Guru Rinpoche’s Inconceivable manifestations And the symbols shown to benefit beings Were comprehended by Chöwang in this manner: First, since the intermediate state of dreaming Is not subject to restrictions or extremes, It was understood to be the symbol of the ground, the natural state. Then, having realized personal projections, They were understood to be the mind that grasps the basis of delusion. Taking the house to be my own Was understood to be the confusion towards referent objects. The white girl with a cowrie headdress, Who asked all sorts of questions, She refuted false, delusional appearances And introduced the fundamental state. With the lamp of stainless wisdom, She introduced it to be without a ground or foundation. Upon knowing all phenomena to be the base, It was understood to be the symbol of liberation. Atop the rocky Palpuk Ring, As I and Yeshe Gyen, together, Looked into the vastness of the sky, The clouds, rainbow colors, and luminous expanse Had no separation from the all-base. Atop the rock, Ignorance and primordial wisdom simultaneously Were the objects severed in space, the dharmadhātu, Resulting in nirvāṇa appearing as rainbow-like deity forms And saṃsāra like cumulus clouds. Yet, they dissolved into the nature of mind, which was illuminating. This was understood to be the symbol of the non-duality [373] of appearance and mind. Atop Dragri Senge Karmo The black man as big as a mountain, Who was adorned with serpent braids And had flames flaring from his mouth that burned down the entire forest— On the stone mountain (Dragri) of the empty nature of mind, The stainless lion (Senge) of conceptuality— He was the transmuting, supreme man of awareness, Adorned with afflictive emotions, like the serpents of aversion. Since the fire of realization burned down the forest of ignorance, This was understood to be the symbol of the view. Guru Padmākara himself— With the disks of the sun and moon conjoined On his crown, in the center of a lotus of swirling light, Seated with his legs crossed: The man in whom method and wisdom are unified Understood all of it to be the unwavering meditation On the meaning of bliss, clarity, and non-thought, free from extremes; The unsurpassed, faultless, and self-arisen abode; And the Great Perfection, the nonduality of meditation and post-meditation. The dark blue body adorned with the six ornaments, The topknot and ornamentation, The two hands holding a vajra and bell, The three eyes gazing piercingly, The garland of skulls with various voices, The engagement of meditative union, The ten ḍākinīs bestowing nectar, The great lion roaring on the right, The peacock exhibiting its feathers on the left— The one who employs the union of method and wisdom, Possesses the six unchanging higher perceptions, And is adorned with the compassion that loves all beings, Who looks after the three realms, Propounds the appropriate Dharma to disciples, Confers empowerment of non-dual great bliss, Guides on the path of the ten perfections, Fearlessly expresses, And provides medicine that dispels poisons and attractions— These were understood to be the symbols of enacting the taming of beings. The swine, snake, and bird pinned Beneath his two crossed legs With light rays emanating from their mouths That coalesced into a five-pronged crystal vajra, The radiating and absorbing of the three seed syllables, The heroes on the right and the heroines on the left, The encircling hosts of ḍākinīs and goddesses of delight, The planting of the four great victorious flags, The encircling hosts of music coming from the ten directions, And the ones sitting in the center: When these are connected to view, meditation, and conduct, The three poisons are purified as the three kāyas; The five kāyas are present without the stains of the afflictive emotions; Beings are liberated through body, speech, and mind; The hero of appearance-emptiness and method-wisdom Gathers all wealth for everyone And becomes a great victor over the four demons— Triumphant in all directions and spontaneously accomplished. Thus, these were understood as the symbol of the spontaneously accomplished result. As I requested to turn the wheel of the Dharma, The symbols were self-explanatory. The instructions of the Guru and consort Were symbols indicating instant maturation and liberation. The instructions of the ten ḍākinīs Were symbols indicating gradual maturation and liberation. The instructions of the heroes and ḍākinīs Were symbols indicating the definitive approach and accomplishment. Offering the illusory body as a gaṇacakra, Was the symbol of liberation by casting away self-grasping. Telling me to decipher The meaning of the Guru’s manifestation Was understood to be liberation through the analysis of phenomena. Thus, wisdom decodes the symbols. For the symbol of liberating all conceptual thoughts as they are, This commentary on the symbols of “The Great Symbolic Meaning” Was professed by me, Chökyi Wangchuk. Iṭhi. Sarva Maṅgalaṃ! Thus it was written. SIGLA A1 and A2 : Guru Chöwang (gu ru chos dbang). 1979. gu ru chos dbang gi rang rnam dang zhal gdams . 2 vols. rin chen gter mdzod chen po’i rgyab chos , vols. 8–9. Paro: Ugyen Tempai Gyaltsen. BDRC MW23802 . B1–3 : Tertön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk (gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug). 2022. gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug gi ran rnam dang zhal gdams bzugs so , vols. 1–3. Edited by Dungse Lama Pema Tsewang (gdung sras bla ma pad+ma tshe dbang). Lamagaun, Nepal: Tsum Library. NOTES [1] Guru Chökyi Wangchuk (gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug, 1200/1212–1270, BDRC P326 ), also known as Guru Chöwang, was a thirteenth-century treasure revealer and the second of the five treasure revealing kings ( gter ston rgyal po lnga ). [2] This is the home village of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk. [3] Or kusāli , it is the visualized offering of one’s body, as at that moment, the practitioner has nothing else to offer. It is also known as the beggar’s offering and is prevalent in the Severance ( gcod ) tradition. [4] This is the seat of Nyangral Nyima Özer, BDRC G7 . [5] The exact meaning of this line is not clear. A1: 370.2, B2: 50.3: brten med seMs (B2: sems ) ’di phya sangs khyer/. [6] Again, it is unclear. Literally, it states, “There was no reply.” It appears that he is writing down his dream since he wrote “easy,” presumably at the beginning of his document. A1: 370.3, B2: 50.5: sla’o bris pas lan med de/ . [7] This is a Sanskrit quotation mark that Chöwang was fond of using in his autobiographical compendium. Photo credit: Timeless Moon Published: October 2024 BIBLIOGRAPHY Guru Chöwang (gu ru chos dbang). 1979. g+ hu ru chos kyi dbang phyugi rmi laM dpal phug ring gi dag snang brda don chen mo yod . In gu ru chos dbang gi rang rnam dang zhal gdams. rin chen gter mdzod chen po’i rgyab chos, v. 8, 363–374. Paro: Ugyen Tempai Gyaltsen. http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW23802 . Tertön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk (gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug). 2022. gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug gi rmi lam dpal phug ring gi dag snang brda don chen mo yod . In gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug gi ran rnam dang zhal gdams bzugs so , vol. 2, 46–52. Edited by Dungse Lama Pema Tsewang (gdung sras bla ma pad+ma tshe dbang). Lamagaun, Nepal: Tsum Library. Abstract This visionary text records an imagistic symbolic dream at Palpuk Ring, at Karchu, Lhodrak in 1245. It opens with Chöwang finding himself before his childhood home, a feature common in his autobiographical writings, with a reoccurring figure, a girl with a cowrie headdress, a secret primordial-wisdom ḍākinī of his inner revelatory world, here named Yeshe Gyen. Much can be learned from traveling back to one’s home, the hearth of the heart, and this is more prominent after the passing of parents. It is home that speaks most deeply, and for Chöwang, it is his ethereal home that triggers his insight that transitions into an elaborate episode of symbology, where philosophical concepts and visionary imagery transmit the Dharma. BDRC MW23802 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 22:08 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Tri Songdetsen HISTORICAL PERIOD 13th Century TEACHERS Namkha Pal TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Layak Guru Lhakhang STUDENTS Gyalse Pema Wangchen Ma Dunpa Menlungpa Mikyö Dorje AUTHOR Guru Chökyi Wangchuk The Great Symbolic Vision at Palpuk Ring: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Do Khyentse, writing as Tragtung Dorje, crafts a long-life prayer for Ḍākki Losal Drölma that playfully incorporates her lesser-known name Drön while praising her spiritual attainments. For the Long Life of Ḍākki Losal Drölma འོད་མཚར་སྟོང་འབར་འཆི་མེད་མགོན་པོ་དང་། ། མཁའ་ཁྱབ་རྒྱལ་བའི་ཡབ་གཅིག་འཇམ་པའི་དབྱངས། ། ö tsar tong bar chi mé gön po dang kha khyab gyal wé yab chik jam pé yang Deathless Protector, blazing with a thousand wondrous lights, Mañjughoṣa, sole father of the victorious ones who pervade space, ཚད་མེད་ཐུགས་རྗེའི་གཏེར་མཛོད་པད་དཀར་འཆང་། ། མཐུ་རྩལ་སྒྱུ་འཕྲུལ་མངའ་བརྙེས་གསང་བའི་བདག ། tsé mé tuk jé ter dzö pé kar chang tu tsel gyun trül nga nyé sang wé dak Holder of the White Lotus, treasury of immeasurable compassion, Lord of Secrets, master of powerful wizardry— སྐུ་གསུམ་རིགས་འདུས་རྒྱལ་བའི་བྱིན་ནུས་མཐུས། ། བློ་གྲོས་ཟབ་དང་རྒྱ་ཆེའི་གསང་ཆེན་གནད། ། ku sum rik dü gyal wé jin nü tü lo drö zab dang gya ché sang chen né Through their potent blessings and those of the victors who embody the three-kāya families, The profound and vast secret points of the intellect (“Lo”), གསལ་བ་ཐབས་མཁས་ཚུལ་གྱིས་ལེགས་སྟོན་ཞིང་། ། སྒྲོན་མེ་ཇི་བཞིན་སྙིགས་མའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་སྨག ། salwa tab khé tsül gyi lek tön zhing drön mé ji zhin nyik mé duk ngal mak You present, clearly (“Sal”) and skillfully, and Like a lamp (“Drön”), the dark suffering of the degenerate age, མ་ལུས་འཇོམས་མཛད་གདུལ་བྱའི་རེ་སྐོང་མ། ། འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་མི་ཤིགས་རྡོ་རྗེའི་ཁྲིར། ། ma lü jom dzé dül jé ré kong ma gyur wa mé pa mi shik dor jé trir You overcome without (“Ma”) exception — she who fulfills the hopes of disciples! Upon the immutable and indestructible vajra throne, ཇི་སྲིད་བསྐལ་བ་རྒྱ་མཚོར་ཞབས་བརྟན་ནས། ། གསང་ཆེན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དགའ་སྟོན་འགྱེད་པར་ཤོག ། ji si kal wa gya tsor zhab ten né sang chen chö kyi ga tön gyé par shok May your life remain secure in this [saṃsāric] ocean, for as long as an eon, and May you distribute great secret feasts of the Dharma! COLOPHON ཅེས་པའང་དཔལ་ལྡན་རིག་འཛིན་ཆོས་བསྟན་ངོར་ཁྲག་འཐུང་རྡོ་རྗེས་སོ། ། ཞུས་སོ། ། Thus, this was made by Tragtung Dorje in response to Palden Rigzin Chöten. ཨོཾཨཱཿ ཧཱུྃབཛྲགུརུཔདྨསིདྡྷིཧཱུྃཿ ཨོཾཝཱགཱིཤྭརིམུཾཿ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃཧྲཱིཿ ཨོཾབཛྲཔཱཎིཧཱུྃཕཊཿ ཨོཾཧཱུཏྲཱཾཧྲཱིཨཱ། སྭཱཧཱ། མངྒལཾ། ཤུབྷཾ། པདམམུསུགུསརྦཏཐཱ OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HŪṂ: OṂ VĀGĪŚVARIMUṂ: OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ HRĪḤ OṂ VAJRAPĀṆI HŪṂ PHAṬ: OṂ HŪ TRĀṂ HRĪḤ Ā | SVĀHĀ | MAṄGALAṂ | ŚUBHAṂ | PADAMAMUSUGUSARVATATHĀ NOTES N/A Photo credit: Himalayan Art Resources Published: January 2024 BIBLIOGRAPHY Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. 2009. Ḍākki blo gsal sgrol maʼi zhabs brtan . In gter chos mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje , vol. 5, 479–80. Chengdu: Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoche. BDRC MW1PD89990_8428BE . Abstract Composed by Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje under the not-well-known moniker of Tragtung Dorje, this tract of a text lauds her blessed abilities and creates the conditions for her long life, all the while playing off her name, one that is also less known, incorporating Drön over Dröl. BDRC LINK MW1PD89990_ 8428BE DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:40 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Jigme Lingpa HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century TEACHERS The Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang, Mingyur Namkhe Dorje The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer Gyurme Tsewang Chokdrub Dola Jigme Kalzang Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Mahā Kyilung Monastery Katok Monastery Dzogchen Monastery Tseringjong STUDENTS Losal Drölma Tsewang Rabten Nyala Pema Dudul The Second Dodrubchen, Jigme Puntsok Jungne Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer Ranyak Gyalse Nyoshul Luntok Tenpe Gyaltsen Özer Taye Kalzang Döndrub Pema Sheja Drime Drakpa Kunzang Tobden Wangpo Gyalse Zhenpen Taye Özer Chöying Tobden Dorje Rigpe Raltri AUTHOR Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje For the Long Life of Ḍākki Losal Drölma VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Librarian and Author Tubten Chödar b. 1969 BDRC P6329 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE According to his BDRC profile, Tubten Chodar is a librarian and a scholar from the Minyak region of Kham. What we do know is that he has written many biographies of a great many figures in Tibetan history. Biography The Biography of Ḍākki Losal Drölma Tubten Chödar A realized female master, Ḍākki Losal Drölma served as custodian of her half-brother Do Khyentse's treasure teachings while deepening her own spiritual attainments in Tibet's sacred sites Read Biography The Biography of Gyalse Rigpe Raltri Tubten Chödar Son of Do Khyentse and recognized as Jigme Lingpa's son's reincarnation, Rigpe Raltri became a revered Minyak guru, transmitting the Yangsang Khandro Tugtik treasures to his own son. Read Timetable A Chronological Timetable: Lives of Do Khyentse’s Familial Line Tubten Chödar A chronology of birth and death dates mapping Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje's family lineage through its key figures and connections. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen