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During an alchemical corpse ritual, Guru Chöwang meets Padmasambhava in a profound encounter that defies categorization as dream, vision, or reality - an event he insisted truly occurred. Abstract At the crossroads of visions and reality—is it a dream, a vision, or real life? In this short narrative, Guru Chöwang encounters Master Padmasambhava, while undertaking an alchemical process called a “corpse ritual.” His usual lifelong spiritual companions also approach him, proffering symbolic gifts and teachings. Chöwang’s collected life writings are chock-full of dreams that bleed into reality. Yet, our protagonist was adamant that this truly happened. BDRC LINK MW23802 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 03:01 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Tri Songdetsen HISTORICAL PERIOD 13th Century TEACHERS Namkha Pal TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Layak Guru Lhakhang STUDENTS Gyalse Pema Wangchen Ma Dunpa Menlungpa Mikyö Dorje AUTHORS Guru Chökyi Wangchuk How Guru Chöwang Met the Guru at Ne Ngön Namo Guru! I, Chökyi Wangchuk, a monk of the Pang [family], was engaged in a corpse ritual of the body of a small boy in the early morning on the tenth day of the Horse month of the Dog year at Ne Ngön Monastery. While supplicating the Three Roots, Guru Pema arrived on a sunray; he was naked with a long[-petalled] lotus hat and held a sun and a moon in his two hands. He unified the sun and moon in his hands And dissolved it into my heart— At that time, the delusional appearance of self-grasping subsided into space, [ 1 ] And a space-like experience dawned. That’s when the Guru went on to state: “If you know how to unify space and awareness as one, Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa will be released without accepting nor rejecting— Dharmakāya, devoid of hopes and fears.” Saying this, he also gave the symbol to me. Machik Jomo Tsogyal also came. She was in the fashion of a beautiful young goddess, With red silk garments and diadem. Her precious jewelry jangled— si li li . She spun a white silver mirror. Putting the mirror to my heart, She placed the threatening mudrā on it and went on to state: “[When] lucid and thought-free, the knots of the mind grasping The five sense objects unravel. Continue without distraction and grasping!” That’s when she recounted past events. The story is otherwise secret. It is contained elsewhere. Layman She’u Khari also came, A man with a tiger skin quiver and a fierce gaze. [ 2 ] His silk [ 3 ] turban fluttering— char ra ra . As he spun a magical staff overhead. He guffawed ha ha he he! and Shot an arrow into the ground before me. While entrusted his staff into my hand— “If the mind alone is realized, The empty life-force of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa will be severed at once, And the bhūmi of the unchanging Mahāyāna mastered.” Saying this, he also presented the symbol. The treasure protector Nine-Headed Nāga Demon was also there. He had a blue spear with tiger tassels, [ 4 ] And nine snake heads decorated the crown of his head. In his hand, he held a precious chest. “ Na ga du na !” he proclaimed. He entrusted the precious chest to me And said, “It is not exhausted through generosity.” Thus, all in a single voice They taught the eight symbolic teachings, and Everything I perceived dissolved into my mind, And a sky-like experience dawned. Then the Guru’s retinue Completely dissolved into the Guru. And the Guru went into the expanse of space. This wasn’t a vision; it was real. It happened because Chöwang’s [ 5 ] mind was blissful. It was karmic fortune; don’t be conceited. COLOPHON This is called “The Eight Symbolic Teachings.” Maṅgalam!! As such he said. NOTES 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. [1] This line in A1 breaks the metre of the verse and is thus placed in parentheses in B2. The shift in the metre might suggest that the line was previously an interlineal note, as the compilation as a whole is inundated with them. [2] A1: 376.6, 496.7: gziD shuD ; B2: 53.11: gzig shub , 128.4: gzig shubs . As both examples in Edition A contain two retroflexes, the translation aligns with that understanding, compared to the modern Edition B. [3] White silk according to A1: 497.1: dar dkar la thod phya ra ra . [4] A1: 377.1: khye thang (B2: 128.5–6: ched sdod ; A1: 497.1: khyed sdod sngon po stag (A1: 497.1: rtag ) gzar (B2: 128.6: gzar ; B2: 53.14: gzigs ) can . The accuracy of this rendition is subject to uncertainty. Please reach out to us if you have further information regarding this line. [5] There is an ostensible shift from first-person to third-person narration. This is quite common in Chöwang’s literary corpus, with a couple of facets to highlight, though more could be said on the matter. Chöwang employs a literary and perhaps didactic device, one utilized by other treasure revealers, that is, the phrase bag ’dra (“like me”). He has a habit of introducing his dream self in this manner; a paraphrastic example of this is “a Chöwang likened unto myself once had a dream in which….” This not only shows his self-characterization in a literary sense of the dream but also his normative acknowledgment of not truly being the same Chöwang that existed in the dream, due to temporal-ontological concerns. It could also be stated that this device demonstrates his enlightened understanding that the personage that is “Chöwang” is merely an illusory and performative nirmāṇakāya functioning as enlightened activity. Nevertheless, it has been stated that this phrase means “me,” but that seems to be too banal to provoke any interest in the matter and disregards the literariness and function of ’dra (“like”). Published: May 2024 BIBLIOGRAPHY Guru Chöwang (gu ru chos dbang). 1979. gu ru chos dbang gis sne sngon du bu chung baM sgrub mdzad pa’i tshe gu ru dang mjal tshul lo . In gu ru chos dbang gi rang rnam dang zhal gdams . rin chen gter mdzod chen po’i rgyab chos , v. 8, 375–378. Paro: Ugyen Tempai Gyaltsen. BDRC MW23802 . Tertön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk (gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug). 2022. gu ru chos dbang gis sne sngon du bu chung baM sgrub mdzad pa’i tshe gu ru dang mjal tshul lo. In gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug gi ran rnam dang zhal gdams bzugs so , vol. 2, 53. Edited by Dungse Lama Pema Tsewang (gdung sras bla ma pad+ma tshe dbang). Lamagaun, Nepal: Tsum Library. How Guru Chöwang Met the Guru at Ne Ngön VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Armed with the 'scroll of devastation' from his father, Guru Chöwang's first treasure excavation leads to a terrifying encounter with the Nine-Headed Nāga Demon, guardian of hidden teachings. Abstract With the “scroll of devastation” in his possession, having retrieved it from his father, Guru Chöwang heads out with a monk to excavate his first treasure. This early dream account narrates Chöwang’s initial encounter with the terrifying Nine-Headed Nāga Demon, lord of the treasure hoard. BDRC LINK MW23802 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 04:20 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Tri Songdetsen HISTORICAL PERIOD 13th Century TEACHERS Namkha Pal TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Layak Guru Lhakhang STUDENTS Gyalse Pema Wangchen Ma Dunpa Menlungpa Mikyö Dorje AUTHOR Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Namkechenma: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Emaho! [ 1 ] There was a yellow scroll of the profound inventory of Orgyen Pema’s [enlightened] mind-treasures, [ 2 ] extracted by Dragpa Ngönshe [ 3 ] at Samye and given to Pön Jam[palwa]. On account of past aspirations and karmic fortune, a person likened unto me, I, Chökyi Wangchuk, received it from the hands of one of his posterities. On the third day of the first autumn month in the hot season of Black Water Snake year, as I was relying upon [the yellow scroll], I found a supplemental inventory [ 4 ] of [enlightened] mind-treasures at Drak Namkechen (“Crag with a Ladder to Heaven”). Then that night in a dream there was this woman [ 5 ] mounted atop a yak amidst a tribe of yak-herding nomads. She proclaimed, “There’s not even a trace of folly [ 6 ] in you; this I know!” and she left. Then, [ 7 ] the next night at dawn, I dreamed that at the bottom of a wide road rested a cave, [ 8 ] sizeable with a door of iron, where a black man with braided hair sat [ 9 ] on a gray stag. “What are you doing here?” I enquired. He rattled and tossed his large locks behind him, then touched his finger to the cave. “Here are inexhaustible [ 10 ] belongings, that your ancestor [ 11 ] prepared for you,” [ 12 ] He rejoined. “I entrust them to you, [ 13 ] so do look after them.” Having uttered this, he mounted a black bull and soared into the west. While I was wondering, “Should I unseal the entrance with its iron door?” A-Mamo, who was younger than before, appeared. While spinning a large key [ 14 ] overhead, she pronounced: “Skillfully use this [ 15 ] to open the door, And you who have nothing [449] will be wealthy! [ 16 ] The ocean [ 17 ] of milk surges, fish [ 18 ] gather— Taking [ 19 ] a measure of food and drink is crucial.” Having said this, she entrusted the key and departed. I consequently understood this to be the meaning of the lineage of the ḍākinī’s seal of entrustment. Quickly I opened the door to the cave and out popped [ 20 ] a garuḍa-like [ 21 ] bird. Five-colored [ 22 ] flames blazed from its mouth, promptly burning my body. [ 23 ] However, by manifesting my mind [ 24 ] into the Great Compassionate One, [ 25 ] I mounted the garuḍa-like bird [ 26 ] and took off into the sky. [ 27 ] Above the nine levels of rainbow clouds, [ 28 ] or the thirteen heavens, [ 29 ] in a pavilion of rainbow light [ 30 ] sat [ 31 ] a crystal [ 32 ] child, in the attire [ 33 ] of Vajrasattva. [ 34 ] He conferred empowerment utilizing a vase full [ 35 ] of nectar. After pouring it into my mouth, [ 36 ] there appeared a white A in the heart of his clear and lucid crystal body. In the center of his left eyeball was a white A, and in the space before was a white A. His bodily form then gathered into the A in his heart; the A in his heart amassed into the A in his eye; the A in his eye subsumed into [450] the A in the space [in front]; the A in the space [in front] dissolved into my heart, [ 37 ] causing a natural radiance, devoid of grasping, [ 38 ] to arise. With the vase full of nectar, I roamed carrying it in my hand, and somehow, I found myself atop a giant throne. I gave nectar to the sixteen “sons” [ 39 ] and the eight [ 40 ] “daughters.” I distributed nectar to the assembly [ 41 ] of monastics, [ 42 ] mantra practitioners, [ 43 ] and male and female yoga practitioners. At that moment, the woman with the cowrie headdress grabbed it from my hand and said, “Their share of those over there [ 44 ] has been missed.” Having given bountiful alms, I gazed over, and the entire place was filled with a massive crowd in disarray. [ 45 ] At that time, I woke up and considered this a very good auspicious connection, and I retrieved the great [enlightened] mind-treasure from Namkedrak. When I met with the glorious Vajrasattva, he bestowed The Stainless Crystal Garland: Pith Instructions for the Four Empowerments . But since fortunate ones were so few, the symbols dissolved into the center of my citta. COLOPHON As such he said. NOTES 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. [1] The dream unfolds at the locale of Namkechenma, known as "a place with a ladder to heaven." [2] “[Enlightened] mind-treasures” is rendering thugs gter . However, it should not be conflated with the later treasure classification of “mind treasure,” rendering dgongs gter . [3] dge bshes grwa pa mngon shes pa, 1012–1090, BDRC P4655 . [4] yang byang . [5] A1: 448.4 interpolation: ye+es kyi mkhro’ mas las can la gter sprod par go (“understood to be a primordial wisdom ḍākinī who gives treasure to the one with the karma”), which is connected to 448.3: bu+ed . [6] Recte : gtam col (B2: 241.2); A1: 448.3, B2: 101.6: tla col ; A2: 123.1: ta col . [7] This is where the account begins in Guru Chöwang’s The Great Treasure History ( gter ’byung chen mo ); A2: 123.5 and B2: 241.9. [8] A1: 448.4 interpolation: gter gnas (“treasure location”), signifying that it is not an ordinary cave. [9] A1: 448.5 interpolation: gter bdag klu bdud (“the nāga-demon treasure lord”), clearly describes the black man. This qualifier is not attested in The Great Treasury History , A2: 123.6: mi ngag po ral pa shab se ba 1 zhon nas ’dug pa la . He is, however, not only extant in Guru Chöwang’s outer biography, The Eight Chapters ( skabs brgyad ma ), A1: 22.7: gter srungs (B1: 31.3: srung ) klu bdud mgo dgu pas (“the nine-headed nāga-demon treasure guardian”), but is a prominent character in Chöwang’s treasure narrative. [10] A1: 448.6: spyad ’phro med pa (“will not be consumed however much one uses it”). Although the text does not literally read “inexhaustible” ( mi zad pa ), the translation was compressed into inexhaustible. [11] A1: 448.5 interpolation: ayan chenos (“Great Orgyan”). B2: 101.10: mes po o rgyan chen pos . A2: 123.7: mes pos , excludes o rgyan chen pos variants. A1: 23.1, B1: 31.6: mes po chen pos . [12] A1: 448.6 interpolation: chos dbang la (“for you Chöwang”). [13] A1: 448.6 interpolation: gter bdgis rgya bkrol nas (“after the treasure lord unraveled their seals”). [14] A1: 448.7 interpolation: kha byang (“inventory”). [15] A2: 124.1: ’di . A1: 448.7 interpolation: thabs shes ldan pas (“as it has the means,” or “as it possesses method and wisdom”). [16] A1: 449.1 interpolation: dgos ’dod ’byung ba’i thuD gter dang ’phrad bas (“because you will encounter the [enlightened] mind-treasure that fulfills all needs and wishes”). [17] A1: 449.1 interpolation: mnag zab mo’i (“profound pith instruction”). [18] A1: 449.1 interpolation: las can gyi skyes bu (“beings with the karma”). [19] A1: 449.1 interpolation: ’dod yon la *chog (A1: choD ) shes (“being content with sensory pleasures”). [20] A1: 449.2 interpolation: sangys mnyaMs sbyor (“unification of the buddhas”). [21] A1: 449.2 interpolation: *theg (A1: theD ) pa thaMd kyi yang tse (“the highest peak of all vehicles”). [22] A1: 449.2 interpolation: ye+es lnga’i ’od kyis (“with the light of the five primordial wisdoms”). [23] A1: 449.3 interpolation: bdag ’dzin gyi lus bag chaD dang bcas pa (“a body of ego-clinging and karmic habituations”). [24] A1: 449.3 interpolation: rang ’byung gi ye+es riD pa lhing ba (“a tranquil natural primordial-wisdom awareness”). [25] Avalokiteśvara. [26] A1: 449.3 interpolation: rdzoD pa cheno spyi ti *yo (A1: mo ) ga don du gyur ba’i brda (“an actualized sign of Dzogchen Crown Yoga”). [27] A1: 449.3 interpolation: gnyis med kyi mkha’ (“sky of non-duality”). [28] A1: 449.3 interpolation: theg (A1: theD ) pa rim pa dgu (A1: dgu’ ) yang rtse (“the peak of the nine vehicles”). This can be extrapolated to entail the nine vehicles of the Nyingma tradition. Although this note is not connected to anything specific with dots, the connection to ’ja’ sprin rim pa dgu’am is clear. [29] A2: 124.4: bcu gsuM . B2: 101.18: bcu gnyis . A1: 449.3: bcu 3 , interpolation: sa bcu gsuM rdo+e ’dzin pa’i gnon par go (“understood to be the mastering ( sa gnon pa ) of the Vajra Holder, the thirteenth stage”). [30] A1: 449.4 interpolation: sku lnga’i klong na (“in the expanse of the five kāyas”). [31] A1: 449.4 interpolation: ma gag pa’i ’gyu ba rang rtsal (“unceasing movement of natural expression”). [32] A1: 449.4 interpolation: *rig (A1: riD ) pa pa lhan 1 skyes pa’i yai (“coemergent primordial wisdom awareness”). [33] A1: 449.4 interpolation: long sku’i cha luD (“saṃbhogakāya attire”). [34] A1: 449.4 interpolation: rdo+e seM’i dngos dang mjalo (“encountering the real Vajrasattva”). [35] A1: 449.4 interpolation: *rig (A1: riD ) pa rtsal gyi dbang (“empowerment of the dynamic expression of awareness”). [36] A1: 449.4 interpolation: rdo+e seM’i snyan rgyud dride shel phreng zer ba 1 yod par ’dug ste (A1: ’duD rte ) yig (A1: yiD ) cha ma skyedo (“there exists a Stainless Crystal Garland of Vajrasattva’s aural lineage; but a textbook has not been created”). [37] A1: 450.1 interpolation: naM kha’ gsum spruD kyi brda don brtan (“stabilizing the symbolic meanings of ‘stirring the three spaces’”). “Stirring the three spaces” ( nam mkha’ gsum sprugs ) is a system of “cutting rigidity” ( khregs chod ). See, Arguillère 2022, 278, n. 97. [38] A1: 450.1 interpolation: bde gsal mi *rtog (A1: rtoD ) ba’i (“bliss, clarity, and non-thought”). [39] A1: 450.2 interpolation: bka’ babs kyi bu bcruD gis rang gzhan gter la spyod pa’i brda’ (“this is the sign of the sixteen prophesized sons partaking in the treasure for the sake of themselves and others”). [40] A1: 450.2 interpolation: dgongs pa gsal ’debs kyi (“which clarified the intention”). [41] A1: 450.2 interpolation: ’ khor phra mo riD *’dus (A1: dus ) kyi brda’o (“this is the sign of gathering the types of minor retinues”). [42] A1: 450.2 interpolation: mkhan po dang dge+ong (“scholars and fully ordained monks”). [43] A1: 450.2 interpolation: sngaD btsun (“mantra clerics”). [44] A1: 450.4 interpolation: ’brel (A1: ’grel ) gyur kyi las can rnams kyi (A1: kyis ) (“of those possessing karma of being affiliated”). [45] A1: 450.4 interpolation: ’khor tshoM bu ’buM *phrag (A1: ’phraD ) cu+iD dang bcastse sang+yas pa’i brda’o (“This retinue along with its 1.1 million clusters is a sign of buddhahood”), which relates to the large crowd. Photo Credit: Himalayan Art Resources Published: April 2024 Edited: November 2024 BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary: Guru Chöwang (gu ru chos dbang). 1979. gu ru chos dbang gis sne sngon du bu chung baM sgrub mdzad pa’i tshe gu ru dang mjal tshul lo . In gu ru chos dbang gi rang rnam dang zhal gdams . rin chen gter mdzod chen po’i rgyab chos , v. 8, 375–378. Paro: Ugyen Tempai Gyaltsen. BDRC MW23802 . Guru Chöwang (gu ru chos dbang). 1979. g+hu ru chosyi dbang phyugi rnalaM/ gnaM skas can ma bzhug s+ho i+thi leD s+ho ang . In gu ru chos dbang gi rang rnam dang zhal gdams . rin chen gter mdzod chen po’i rgyab chos , v. 8, 447–450. Paro: Ugyen Tempai Gyaltsen. BDRC MW23802 . Tertön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk (gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug). 2022. gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug gi rnal lam gnam skas can ma bzhugs so . (bar cha 2022: 101–102). In gter ston gu ru chos kyi dbang phyug gi ran rnam dang zhal gdams bzhugs so , vol. 2, 101–102. Edited by Dungse Lama Pema Tsewang (gdung sras bla ma pad+ma tshe dbang). Lamagaun, Nepal: Tsum Library. Secondary: Arguillère, Stéphane. 2022. “A History of the dGongs pa zang thal practice manuals.” Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines: For A Critical History of the Northern Treasures , 62: 233–298. Namkechenma: 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 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.

Twentieth-century yoginī Tamdrin Lhamo, daughter of treasure revealer Nakla Jangchub Dorje, practiced at Nagla Gar, a Nyingma monastery in Chamdo. Abstract Tamdrin Lhamo was a twentieth-century yoginī of the Nyingma monastery Nagla Gar in Chamdo. Her father was the treasure revealer and Dzogchen master Nakla Jangchub Dorje. BDRC LINK W19803 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 02:52 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 20th Century TEACHERS Nagla Changchub Dorj e TRANSLATOR Yeshe Khandro INSTITUTION Nyagla Gar STUDENTS Unknown AUTHORS Döndor Tenzin Chödrak A Biography of Tamdrin Lhamo Tamdrin Lhamo [ 1 ] was born to a noble family in 1923, the Water Pig Year of the fifteenth sexagenary cycle, at a place called Nyakla Gar [ 2 ] in Rachukado [ 3 ] in the district of Gonjo in Chamdo. [ 4 ] Her father was Nyakla Jangchub Dorje, and her mother was Drimé Wangmo. [ 5 ] Tamdrin Lhamo received and practised her father’s treasure teachings, including The Compendium of the Ocean of Dharma , [ 6 ] consisting of some forty large volumes, along with their empowerments, transmissions, and pith instructions. In particular, having continuously engaged in the instructions on the winds from her father’s treasure teaching of Vajravārāhī, in seven-day cycles over some twenty-one weeks, she remained for a week distilling the essence of space. Specifically, she practised the quintessence of her father’s treasure teachings, the Yangtik Nakpo Sergyachen . [ 7 ] This ḍākima had the manifest ability to remove cataracts by using [a single strand of] her hair. Her breast milk was the best for purifying eye diseases, drib diseases, [ 8 ] and other ailments. She was not the least bit familiar with the usual attachment felt towards relatives and friends nor animosity towards foes. [As a result], she cared for many disciples, such as monks and laypeople. On the morning of the twenty-seventh day of the second month of the Tibetan Earth Sheep Year, 1979, in her fifty-seventh year, within a state in which the two purposes are accomplished spontaneously, she called upon all her disciples and relatives, such as those from Serka and Tserong, [ 9 ] who were close to her residence and issued a statement: ‘You shouldn’t be sad now — there is no end to birth other than death. Even though my [original] lifespan was fifty-two years because of my Lama Rinpoche’s care and due to having given birth to my young daughter, I was able to prolong my life by a few years. Also, I have seen the face of Vajravārāhī on a few occasions. Now, I must go to the Paradise Arrayed in Turquoise Petals [ 10 ] for a while. Do not hold onto my body out of attachment.’ This, amongst other things, is what she said. That night, her mind departed for the sake of others. Her relics were kept for seven days, and nothing remained of her entire body other than a form measuring twenty-six centimetres or just over one handspan,[ 11 ] as the rest dissolved into light. In that area, a crowd numbering thousands all saw that display of passing away plainly before their very own eyes. Many of the people who previously apportioned blame to her requested forgiveness. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] rta mgrin lha mo, 1923–1979, BDRC P210 [2] nyag bla sgar, BDRC G596 [3] ra chu rka do [4] chab mdo go 'jo, BDDRC G2182 [5] nyag bla byang chub rdo rje, BDRC P211 ; dri med dbang mo [6] bka' 'dus chos kyi rgya mtsho [7] yang tig nag po gser gyi rgya can [8] grib nad is a type of disease brought about by planetary spirits that causes states of unconsciousness, strokes, and other symptoms, such as pimples. [9] gser rka; rtse rong [10] G.yu lo bkod pa'i shing is the Buddhafield of Tārā. [11] mkhyid lhag gang tsam is the distance between a thumb and little finger. Photo Credit: Himalayan Art Resources Published: November 2021 Edited: April 2022 BIBLIOGRAPHY don rdor and bstan 'dzin chos grags. 1993. “rta mgrin lha mo”. In mi sna, pp. 1022–1024. par gzhi dang po, bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang. BDRC W19803 A Biography of Tamdrin Lhamo VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Polymath The Fifth Lelung Zhepe Dorje 1697–1740 BDRC P675 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE PHOTO CREDIT The Fifth Lelung Jedrung, Lobzang Trinle (1697–1740), on being recognized as the reincarnation of the Fourth Lelung Jedrung, Gendun Chögyal, had his hair-cutting ceremony carried out by the Sixth Dalai Lama (1683–1706) in 1702. Later the treasure revealer Chöje Lingpa (1681–1720/1722) prophesied that Lelung would be the one to receive and propagate a treasure cycle focussed on a peaceful and wrathful form of Avalokiteśvara. His collected works total some forty-six volumes. In 1740 he passed away at the age of forty-three and was posthumously declared to be the protector deity Dragshul Wangpo who is focused on subduing the spirit Dorje Shugden. Song Three Songs of Experience: Lavapa’s Cave and the Mad Yogins Lelung Zhepe Dorje Three songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje combining affectionate humour, the unconventional spirituality of the mad yogin and playful reflections on the meaning of his name. Read Guru Yoga The Essential Secret Sādhana of Zhepe Dorje Lelung Zhepe Dorje A concise secret sādhana of Zhepe Dorje centred on self-visualisation, forceful yogic practice, and the recognition of all appearances as the display of mind. Read Song Song of Experience: The Gateway of Manifold Appearances Lelung Zhepe Dorje Composed in 1718 amid violent political and religious upheaval in Tibet, this deeply personal song captures the young Lelung Zhepe Dorje’s disenchantment with worldly life, devotion, longing for hidden lands, and urgent yearning for freedom. Read Song A Spontaneous Song on Departing for Pemokö Lelung Zhepe Dorje This spontaneous song was composed by Lelung Zhepe Dorje (1697–1740) at Gyala in Kongpo in 1729, at the moment of departure from a gathered assembly of pilgrims and patrons on the threshold of the hidden land of Pemokö. Read Prayer The Outer, Inner, and Secret Practice Cycle of Zhepe Dorje Lelung Zhepe Dorje This text presents the outer, inner, and secret practice cycles of Zhepe Dorje, transmitted by Lhachik Nyima Zhönu—a protector deity revealed through pure vision—in 1730 and recorded in 1731. Read Prayer Opening the Door to Prosperity: A Praise to Invoke the Sacred Commitment of the Great Shanglön Dorje Dudul Lelung Zhepe Dorje Devotional praises invoking Shanglön Dorje Dudul, composed by Lelung Zhepe Dorje, describe him in great detail as a dark blue yakṣa figure adorned with jewels, holding a wish-fulfilling jewel and nectar vase, and capable of transforming into various wrathful forms. Read Song A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Lelung Zhepe Dorje Two spontaneous songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje: one honouring the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin, the other celebrating the experience of unobstructed, effortless awareness. Both transmit direct spiritual realization through verse. Read Aspirational Prayer The Magical Lasso: A Prayer of Aspiration to Accomplish Khecara Lelung Zhepe Dorje A heartfelt prayer to the ḍākinīs of three worlds, composed at Pemokö's Dudul Dewa Chenpo, seeking blessings to master the Vajrayāna path for all beings' benefit. Read Pure Vision Chapter Narrating the Pure Vision of Gesar Lelung Zhepe Dorje 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. Read Buddhist An Aspiration to Travel to the Hidden Land of Pemokö Lelung Zhepe Dorje A prayer aspiring to rebirth in Pemokö, a sacred hidden land where dharmic conditions flourish and worldly obstacles dissolve - composed by Lelung Zhepe Dorje. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

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

Dalai Lama The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso 1856–1875 BDRC P197 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso, was born in 1876 in Langdun amidst auspicious signs, including mystical visions and his family home surviving an earthquake. Enthroned in 1879, he spent his early years in rigorous religious training before assuming full political power at 18. His leadership was defined by efforts to preserve Tibet’s independence, modernize its governance, and strengthen its defences. He navigated complex challenges, including conflicts with the British, Chinese incursions, and resistance to reforms from conservative factions. Inspired by his travels to Mongolia, China, and India, he introduced education systems, communication infrastructure, and military reforms, though these were often hindered by internal opposition. A deeply spiritual leader, Tubten Gyatso worked to preserve Tibetan Buddhism and its traditions while warning of external threats to Tibet’s sovereignty. Passing away in 1933, his legacy remains one of resilience, reform, and devotion to his people. Correspondence Eleventh Day, Ninth Month, Water Pig Year The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso 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. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

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The First Drugpa Zhabdrung's victory declaration of 1619, composed after defeating Tsang's ruler through ritual sorcery, helped establish Bhutan's identity while asserting his talismanic power. Abstract The first rendition of the seal was written in 1619 by the First Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal, after seizing military victory over Puntsok Namgyal, the ruler of Tsang in Tibet. It is purported that Zhabdrung accomplished this triumph through his tantric powers of ritual sorcery. The lines translated here are in a different order in comparison to other editions. Nevertheless, this epic declaration not only helps to establish the emerging country of Bhutan but centralizes Zhabdrung's power in a talismanic nature. SOURCE DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:07 TRADITION Drugpa Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Zhabdrung Sungtrul HISTORICAL PERIOD 16th Century 17th Century TEACHERS Tenpe Nyima Lhawang Lodrö TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Ralung Monastery STUDENTS The First Drugje Khenpo Pekar Jungn e The Second Drugje Khenpo, Sönam Özer The Third Drugje Khenpo, Pekar Lhundrub The Fourth Drugje Khenpo, Damchö Pekar The Fifth Drugje Khenpo, Söpa Trinl e Ngawang Samten Söpa Pekar AUTHORS Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal & Lopön Nadok Sixteen Self-Assertions གོང་མས་ལུང་བསྟན་སྤྲུལ་པ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ཀུན་གྱི་སྐྱབས་སུ་བཟང་། ། འཆད་པའི་ངག་གི་དབང་ཕྱུག་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ལེགས་བཤད་འབྱུང་ཁུངས་བཙུན། ། Forefathers’ foretold emanation is I— I am the magnificent refuge of all beings. The sovereign speech of exposition is I— I am the respected source of eloquent discourse. བདུད་དཔུང་འཇོམས་པའི་དཔའ་བོ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་འབྲུག་པར་བརྫུས་རྣམས་བཅོམ། ། རྩོད་པའི་མཐུ་སྟོབས་བདག་པོ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ལྟ་ལོག་མཁན་སུན་འབྱིན། ། The hero who conquers demon hordes is I— I am the destroyer of the Drukpa’s imposters. The powerful master of debate is I— I am the repudiator of those with wrong views. མཐའ་བྲལ་ལྟ་བའི་བདག་པོ་ང་། ། ང་མདུན་མི་འདར་རྒོལ་བ་སུ། ། རྩོམ་པའི་དབྱངས་ཅན་གྲུབ་པ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་རིག་གནས་ཀུན་ལ་མཁས། ། The lord of the unlimited view is I— I am the one before whom all challengers tremble. Sarasvatī’s accomplished wordsmith is I— I am the learned scholar in all fields of knowledge. དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་པའི་བསྟན་འཛིན་ང་། ། ང་ནུས་བཟློག་པའི་མཐུ་ཆེན་སུ། ། ལུགས་གཉིས་འཁོར་ལོས་བསྒྱུར་བ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་འདྲ་མིན་སྤྲུལ་བའི་གཤེད། ། The Glorious Druk’s doctrine holder is I— I am almighty, no sorcerer can defeat me. The dual system’s [ 1 ] Wheel-wielding Monarch [ 2 ] is I— I am the enemy of diverse apparitions. ཕྱག་དམ་འདི་གཞུང་གི་བཀའ་རྒྱ་གལ་ཆེན་རིགས་དང་། གཞུང་གི་ཁྲ་དེབ་ཁག་ལ་ངེས་པར་དུ་ཕྱག་དམ་འདི་ཐེབས་ཡོད་ན་ཀུན་གྱིས་བརྩི་མཐོང་ཆེན་པོ་བྱ་དགོས་པ་སྔར་སྲོལ་གལ་གནད་ཅན་ཞིག་ཡིན། ཞབས་དྲུང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རང་གིས་ཕྱོགས་ལས་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་རྟགས་མཚན་དུ་ཕྱག་དམ་ང་བཅུ་དྲུག་མ་འདི་མཛད་པ་ནས་བཟུང་སྟེ་འབྲུག་གཞུང་གི་མངའ་འབངས་ཆབ་སྲིད་ཡོངས་རྫོགས་ལ་ཕྱག་དམ་དེས་དབང་བསྒྱུར་ཆོག་པ་ཡིན། དེ་བཞིན་ད་ལྟ་ཡང་འབྲུག་གཞུང་གི་ (དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་པ་ཕྱོགས་ལས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ) གཞུང་རྟགས་སུ་བཀོད་པ་འདི་ཡང་། ཞབས་དྲུང་རིན་པོ་ཆེས་ང་བཅུ་དྲུག་མའི་དོན་བསྡུས་ཏེ་གཞུང་རྟགས་སུ་བཀོད་པ་ཡིན། དཔེར་ན། རྒྱ་གར་གཞུང་རྟགས་སེངྒེ་མགོ་ལྔ་པ་ཅན་ལ་རྩིས་མཐོང་བྱ་དགོས་པ་ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ཨ་ཤོ་ཀའི་མཛད་རྗེས་མཚོན་པ་དང་འདྲ་བ་ཡིན། If this seal is visibly stamped onto the official documents of the government and important government orders, everyone will hold them in high regard because this tradition is of essential importance. Shabdrung Rinpoche (1594–1651) [ 3 ] composed this seal, "Sixteen Self-Assertions," as a symbol of the Complete Victor in all Regards. [ 4 ] Since then, this seal was permitted to exercise power over all citizens and political territory of the Bhutanese government. Accordingly, even today, the name of the Bhutanese government, “The Glorious Drukpa: The Victor in All Regards,” [ 5 ] is also established as an administrative symbol since it is the condensed meaning of Shabdrung Rinpoche’s "Sixteen Self-Assertions." Take, for example, the governmental symbol of India, the five-headed lion. The reason it is held in high regard is that it is the representation of the achievements of the Dharma King, Ashoka. This seal is comparable to that symbol. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] This is referring to the dual system of politics and religion. [2] A Wheel-wielding Monarch (cakravartin) is the de facto ruler of the entire universe, bring all under their control single-handedly. They tend to govern the world system in accordance with the spiritual and or universal law, the dharma. For more information, please refer to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. [3] zhabs drung 01 ngag dbang rnam rgyal, BDRC P509 [4] phyogs las rnam par rgyal ba [5] dpal ldan 'brug pa phyogs las rnam rgyal Photo Credit: Kidekhar College of Buddhist Higher Learning Published: May 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Slob dpon gnag mdog. 1986. Nga bcu drug ma. In 'Brug dkar-po : 'brug rgyal-khab kyi chos-srid gnas-stangs, pp 94–95. Thurpaling Monastery Bumthang: Lopon Nado. Sixteen Self-Assertions VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Author & Poet Döndrub Gyal 1953–1985 BDRC P5110 TREASURY OF LIVES TREASURY OF LIVES Döndrub Gyal is considered the first modern Tibetan poet to break through traditional Tibetan formalist elements. He is widely regarded in Tibet as the founder of modern Tibetan toetry. An accomplished scholar, writer, poet, and patriot, he committed suicide in 1985 when he was only 32. Poetry Waterfall of Youth Döndrup Gyal Döndrup Gyal's free-verse poem, written as Rangdröl, visually cascades down the page like a waterfall, its rhythm and form mirroring the flowing dynamics of youth. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Treasure Revealer Sera Khandro 1892-1940 BDRC P742 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE Sera Khandro Kunzang Dekyong Wangmo was one of the most remarkable female treasure revealers of twentieth-century Tibet. Born in Lhasa, she resisted an arranged marriage and, following profound visionary experiences, fled to Golok to pursue a life of Dharma. Enduring extreme hardship, social opposition, and periods of illness, she nevertheless became renowned for her devotion, eloquence, and spiritual attainment. As both a consort and an independent treasure revealer, she transmitted and uncovered major treasure cycles, including teachings connected to Dudjom Lingpa and Drime Özer, as well as her own visionary revelations. Her life and writings offer a rare and powerful account of female religious agency within the Nyingma tradition. She spent her later years teaching and travelling across eastern Tibet, gathering a wide circle of disciples, and is remembered as a central figure in the modern Tibetan treasure tradition. Song The Friend I Want Does Not Want Me Sera Khandro At twenty-three, Sera Khandro recounts her journey from a cherished childhood through wandering, hunger and servitude, and the struggle to remain devoted to the Dharma. Read Song This Foolish Song Sera Khandro Summoned to Adzom Gar in the hope of prolonging Adzom Rinpoche’s life, Sera Khandro reluctantly parts from Drime Özer and describes the sorrow of their separation. Read Song Formerly a Noblewoman Sera Khandro Returning to the community she had once called home, Sera Khandro mourns the deaths of her lama and son, her homelessness and broken relationships, before transforming her grief into renewed devotion to the Dharma. Read Song You Take Him Sera Khandro Annoyed when Dorje Yudrön praises her prospective husband’s good looks, the young Sera Khandro responds with a sharp, humorous song declaring that she has no intention of marrying him. Read Song My Only Companion Is the Blue Sky Sera Khandro A poignant and subtly defiant song in which Sera Khandro transforms sorrow, mistreatment and isolation into poetry, with the blue sky as her sole companion. Read Song Don’t Place Your Trust in… Sera Khandro A mgur of direct “pointing out” in which Sera Khandro dismantles every support of the path, revealing the already-complete unity of emptiness and luminosity. Read Song Song of the Vulture Sera Khandro Sera Khandro sang this song at the age of eleven, a month after her mother’s death, following an encounter with a white vulture she recognised as the soul-bird of a ḍākinī. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Khenpo Ngawa Palzang's stream of consciousness flows through self-reflection and moral inquiry, inviting readers to examine their own condition in this meditation on accountability. Abstract Surging, subtle, and well short of a rigmarole, Khenpo Ngawang Palzang takes us down a river of reverie. In this current the ripples of his thought invoke images of self-depreciation, accountability, and conscientiousness, to name a few. In the end, the imperative is put forth to investigate the moral and to take your findings into your own condition. So, hop in this craft and take the journey down this eddyless waterway. BDRC LINK MW22946 _94C0EC DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 05:04 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A 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 Talking to Myself Emaho! These days, here in the bowels of the degenerate age, The rulership of karma drags me where I don’t want to go. This weighs on my mind, but still, I spurn the Dharma. No matter what I go on about, it doesn’t mean much. In my heart, I’d like to be a part of the Dharma, But a fathomless sea of bad karma swells all around me. With all this triviality, I’ve made a fool of myself and others. Strangled by the straps of the eight delusions, [ 1 ] Here where the five poisons rage, I have betrayed everyone, high and low. I know that partaking in the Dharma heals, And I want to wrap myself in the fine cloths of study and practice. But these thoughts, like foul vomit gurgling within me, Haunt me with the unthinkability of my path pleasing the buddhas. In these times, study and practice have all the appeal of a corpse. I have remained in solitude, but nothing meaningful came of it. Pretending to be an altruistic practitioner, My mind buzzes with schemes embroiling me and others. To me the teachings of sūtra and tantra are mere commodities I blithely traffic to get ahead in this world. What will become of me in future lives? My entourage of students serves me again and again, [ 2 ] And I fritter away my life, worthlessly, Days and nights passing on a wheel of distractions. The life stories of my fathers, the Kagyu saints, Speak straight to my heart, But I only pretend to relate to their hardships. I pose and I lie, talented in my treachery. Straggling behind the forefathers, I’m an orphan lost among the images of my mind. Sad at the decay of my body’s four elements, And cut off from the Dharma’s stream, my heart feels dark. I’m oppressed by the burden of my self-absorption, And I long to rest in selflessness. But unseeing clouds my mind, so I don’t make sense of the path. I stumble around in my distortions. After thoughts, I scramble helplessly, And I’m full of hopes and fears about keeping up appearances. Being in charge of a bastion of the teachings is a demonic fate. These activities, like rapids, I try to manage. All these undertakings, and I’m still a bastard to the basic truths. All this fellowship, and I just wallow in quarrels. My sojourns in solitude have been ruts of distraction. Ungrounded, I sway in the winds of the wealthy. [ 3 ] How I really am remains a mystery to me. My appearance is finely wrought, but I’m fooling myself. The hypocrisy inside me will fuel my future miseries. These toxic deeds I’ve heaped up under the cover of Dharma. [ 4 ] I aspire for noble qualities, then I deceive. Though I’m getting older, I don’t think about death. Lacking all sense of direction, empty-handed, I creak along. Who will save me from terror on the Lord of Death’s road? The drive to shelter from fear is rooted in my mind. [ 5 ] I’m drunk on the poison draft of bettering my lot, [ 6 ] And if I don’t serve nectar that helps others, The Dharma I take part in will just be filler for this life. Now, no matter what I think about, My mind finds nothing to trust. So let me turn my mind inward and stop looking around! Let me integrate the practices that have come down through the lineage! I’ve collected things of value, but I can’t take them with me. I’ve indulged in gathering up my desires, And I got them, sure, but all I came away with was toxic burdens. I scramble like some Sisyphean slave, [ 7 ] And my hard man image is wrapped up in the eight delusions. What hope can I hold for anything down the line? Betrayed by my benighted mind, I’m dull and thick. I stuff myself with meaningless likes and dislikes, And while I understand that enemies are endless, still I strive to quell them. I know I can’t rely on friends, yet I bind myself in attachment to them. I’ve managed to get everything wrong about what is vast and profound, [ 8 ] And though I’m good at masquerading as a teacher, I’m steeped in laziness. Surrounded by the appearances of this life, reflect on the implications of your thoughts. [ 9 ] See if there is any benefit in my babble. Take good stock of the way I am. If you think I’m on to something, then practice. If you think, “I am not afraid of the great enemy of the lower realms,” Then feel free to take it easy. May some good come from “talking to myself.” [ 10 ] COLOPHON None NOTES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Joseph McClellan produced a draft of the translation and appendix during the summer of 2022 in Mae Sot, Thailand. Lowell Cook then checked the translation against the Tibetan and made many corrections and improvements. Ryan Jacobson reviewed a second draft and Tom Greensmith offered final copyedits. Thanks to Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche for some helpful comments. APPENDIX On the Methodology of the Translation In the translation of this poem, we used a methodology much less common in translated Tibetan literature. Most of this literature is doctrinally rich, and often it conveys subtle contemplative instructions that a translator must take great care to pass along to the reader with precision. Other translated Tibetan literature, such as the tremendous work of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, strives to preserve the style, register, and even syntax of the original text as much as possible, even if it sometimes goes against the grain of English literary conventions. The consensus is that more literal translations—metaphrase in translation parlance—are better for preserving the texts as historical documents. At least as important as that, Tibetan translators usually approach their work with an attitude of devotion—they try to tread as lightly as possible on the fabric of sacred words laid before them. Writers of Khenpo Ngaga’s stature, and Khenpo Ngaga himself, usually write from a position of explicit or implicit authority—an authority that comes from the partial or complete accomplishment of the Buddhist path. Khenpo’s autobiography, Wondrous Dance of Illusion, recounts a nearly endless stream of spiritual insights going back to his early childhood, and many of his writings are in the voice of a master in total control of his life and mind and who is writing for the reader’s benefit—to teach us something about view, meditation, or action. Therefore, most of his work should be translated according to the principles of metaphrase. While translating this poem, however, metaphrase did not seem adequate, or even appropriate. This is not the place to speculate on Khenpo Ngaga’s motives in writing this poem, but based on his life story, if he ever felt the way he describes here, it may surprise many of us. Whatever the case, the poem is striking for its tone of self-excoriation, regret, and melancholy—the kind of depression that torments a person who has the embers of a seeker in their heart but nevertheless has wasted their life and spiritual opportunities. The poem is almost devoid of technical terminology, and it does not present precise contemplative instructions. Rather, Khenpo Ngaga here uses affect as a hammer. The poem’s sole purpose seems to be to exacerbate the reader’s existential darkness—to strike on the hopelessness of being happy doing what one has always done. Considering these elements of the poem’s content and style, we offer a paraphrastic translation—that is, we do not contort the translation to fit the syntax and grammatical details of the original. The poem, as strange as it may sound, is far closer to Hank William’s I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry than to Khenpo’s own prayers and instructions. Even if the poem is a performance of a bodhisattva mimicking the thoughts of the saṃsārically afflicted, Khenpo Ngaga has succeeded in writing something many of us find painfully familiar. His “Talking to Myself” sounds just like our own pain and frustration. To give a few examples of the paraphrastic approach of the translation: Line three begins with the clause don gong ltar bsam kyang chos ma mthun (lit. meaning + above + like + think + but + Dharma + not + agree). A simple and accurate literal translation would be, “I think about the aforementioned meaning, however, I do not conform to the Dharma.” But no one would find that English line elegant or interesting, and the warmth of an English poem must not be cooled because of a half-line of stock phrasing. Tibetan verse, on the other hand, with its austere meter and elided particles, tolerates and even thrives when a chain of simple syllables forces the reader to fill in the gaps with their imagination. The point of the line is to highlight what he just said about feeling the negative consequences of his previous actions and the absurdity of refusing to engage in the one thing that would make the situation better—Dharma practice. For this reason, in lieu of a literal translation, we opted for the more evocative, “This weighs on my mind, but still, I spurn the Dharma.” The Tibetan of another line on the first page says dus deng song gi bshad sgrub ro ltar mthong (“these days + of + study + practice + corpse + like + to see”). A literal but unsatisfying rendering of this might say, “The study and practice of these days look like a corpse.” That will not do aesthetically, so we must ask what it means to look like a corpse. Of course, this means it looks like something you want nothing to do with, something you would rather leave by the road and forget about. Thus, we ended up with “In these times, study and practice have all the appeal of a corpse.” Tibetan has every resource to articulate that exact English thought, but to our ear, the correspondence here is adequate, and no meaningful violence has been done to the original. Again, on the first page, there is a couplet in which nauseating thoughts or concepts rise up (we say “gurgling,” but in fact there is only implied verbal action)—these thoughts (rtog pa) are in the instrumental case, so they are the agent or the reason for the verb, which comes at the end of a Tibetan sentence. The verb here is “to think” or “wonder” (snyam pa), so the basic logic of the sentence is “because of these thoughts … I think.” But again, this will not do aesthetically, and there is nothing technical in the couplet that would demand a high degree of literal precision. If we focus on the affective meaning, we may consider how we speak about specific thought patterns that crystallize around dark and negative thoughts. We might say something like, “I am haunted by the memories of my child’s death.” While that is not a common idiom in classical Tibetan, it conveys the feeling much better than the metaphrastic “thoughts … make me think.” A bit later, another line solicits a loose rendering. The Tibetan says, “toxic deeds + big + those + Dharma + in + accumulated + is.” The sticking point is interpreting the preposition in relation to “Dharma.” The general meaning is “accumulated/gathered/heaped up in the Dharma,” but that English is ambiguous. We take “in” as “in the context of the Dharma,” but we still must unpack intent. If one heaps up toxic deeds in the context of the Dharma, the main problem is the hypocrisy of acting destructively under the false banner/aegis/cover of the Dharma. Therefore, we end up with a loose translation we think captures the meaning better than any literal option: “These toxic deeds I’ve heaped up under the cover of Dharma.” A final, simple example regards the handling of probably the most common Tibetan adjective, chen po. It can cover every synonym of the fundamental English adjectives “big” and “great.” In one line of this poem, the common term mtsho chen appears, which means, unambiguously, “big lake/ocean.” The main verb in the line is rdol ba, which has the water-related meaning of “flood” or “burst,” which nudges us to choose a water-related adjective for “big.” We, therefore, opt for “fathomless,” even though there are Tibetan words that match that adjective’s etymology. Since the vocabulary being used is not doctrinal or technical, we see no reason to limit our diction to the less poetic options. [1] “Eight delusions” here stands for the “eight worldly concerns,” the false paths of basing one’s happiness on gain and loss, feeling good and not good, praise and censure, and recognition and insignificance. [2] We have speculatively amended kyi to kyis in this line. This is the most common Tibetan orthographical error, and the instrumental case kyis reads more smoothly. [3] Most likely referring to the tendency to gravitate towards one’s wealthy benefactors who make one’s life comfortable. [4] A loose rendering of the line. Please see the appendix for an explanation of the translation choices. [5] We have amended the spelling in this line from chag to chags. Additionally, “the motivation to the sheltered from fear” (’jigs skyobs kyi kun slong) is one of two main flawed motivations for pursuing the spiritual path. In Khenpo Ngaga’s own A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, he glosses this motivation in the following way: “If you practice the Dharma in order to be protected from the fear of being prey in this life to disease, negative spirits, being punished by the law, famine, and so forth, whether you follow the most basic practices of the Shravakas’ Vehicle or the most advanced practices of the Radiant Great Perfection, you may well be protected from these fears, but apart from this there will be no beneficial result whatsoever. You should therefore avoid this sort of attitude” (Ngawang Pelzang, A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, 18). [6] “The attitude of wishing to better one’s lot” (legs smon gyi kun slong) is the second main wrong motivation for spiritual practice. Khenpo Ngaga glosses it the following way: “you may think, ‘I will request a teaching and receive the empowerments and the transmissions, and then, if I practice the sadhana in retreat, I’ll gain something; people will praise me and I’ll become famous.’ With these three—gain, praise, and a good reputation—you can obtain food, clothes, and other sources of happiness for this life. Gain, praise, fame, and pleasure, and their four opposites, which are the things we do not wish for, together constitute the eight ordinary concerns… nothing on earth could be more shameful than using the Dharma to fulfill your worldly desires. Someone who does so, exchanging the priceless teachings of the sacred Dharma for worldly valuables and goods like food and clothes, is worse than an ordinary old man who gets rich hunting with a rifle. The peerless Dagpo said: ‘Unless you practice the Dharma according to the Dharma, Dharma itself becomes the cause of evil rebirths.’… It is said in the Sakya teaching Parting from the Four Attachments, ‘Those who are attached to this life are not practitioners of the Dharma.’ Such people are traders in the soul of the doctrine, people who demean the Three Jewels, mere collectors of monastic robes. You should avoid them like poison. “When you have this sort of motivation, hoping to better your lot, you might appear to be practicing the Dharma, whether the most basic Shravakas’ Vehicle or the most advanced Great Perfection; you might lock yourself up in your hermitage for many years; you might look as if you are diligently practicing sadhana in retreat; but, according to Apu, even if you acquire some wealth, praise, or a good reputation the only thing you will accomplish is being able to say, ‘It is because of my practice that I am rich, much-praised, and famous.’ You will not even sow the seed for liberation in the next life. Like the swindler who spread a deerskin over some donkey meat to sell it as venison, you will have covered the donkey meat of your own evil being with the deerskin of the sacred Dharma; you will have discredited the Dharma. Just as one says of an ordinary person who squanders his inheritance, ‘He’s a hopeless businessman,’ people will say of you, ‘There is someone who has failed and discredited the Dharma’ ” (Ngawang Pelzang, A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, 18–19). [7] Here, “Sisyphean” is rendering don med, a general term meaning “pointless/useless/meaningless.” Sisyphean relates to the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a mountain repeatedly. Once he pushed the boulder to the top, it would roll back over him to the bottom, and he would have to repeat the process, eternally. Albert Camus wrote a popular essay about the myth, which he saw as an apt metaphor for the absurdity of human existence, where much of what we do is difficult, repetitive, and seemingly pointless. While we generally avoid specific Western references in Tibetan translations, here we use “Sisyphean” because of its common usage, and because it captures the contextual meaning quite well. [8] This is a reference to the “two commentarial traditions” according to which Mahāyāna treatises are organized. “Profound” here refers to the path of the profound view of emptiness inspired by the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and transmitted to and expounded by Nāgārjuna and the Madhyamaka philosophers. “Vast” here refers to the path of vast conduct taught by Maitreya to Asaṅga and carried on through the activities of Vasubandhu, Dignāga, and other important Cittamātra philosophers and logicians. Khenpo Ngaga is saying that he studied these intellectual traditions and misunderstood them. [9] Tentative. The Tibetan reads, “these appearances + because of these + thoughts’ + high + way + think about!” A clunkier literal translation might read, “Because of the appearances of this life, you should think about the gravity/importance/prominence of your thoughts.” Our slightly looser rendering follows the principles discussed in the appendix. [10] This line may be considered the poem’s colophon. Literally, it says, “Thus/there you have ‘Talking to Myself.’ Virtue!” However, the line keeps the meter of all the other lines, and in the Tibetan text, it is not written in smaller font, as colophons often are. Therefore, we rendered it as the final poetic line, which doubles as a colophon. BIBLIOGRAPHY Talking to Myself VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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