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A compilation of supplication verses and transmission lineage for Do Khyentse's Dzinpa Rangdröl treasure cycle, arranged by Galwang Nyima from original revealed texts. Abstract This lineage prayer for Do Khyentse's treasure cycle of the Natural Liberation of Grasping (Dzinpa Rangdröl) is found in a liturgical compilation arranged by Galwang Nyima. The prayer comprises verses from the supplication prayer and Tröma practice as located in the revealed treasure texts as well as a short transmission lineage. BDRC LINK W26033 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 03:42 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 Gyalwang Nyima (Editor) A Lineage Prayer for the Natural Liberation of Grasping ཀུན་བཟང་ཡབ་ཡུམ་སྟོན་པ་འོད་མི་འགྱུར། ། kunzang yabyum tönpa ö mingyur Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrā in union, Teacher of Immutable Light, [ 1 ] ཁྲག་འཐུང་གཞོན་ནུ་དཔའ་བོ་སྟོབས་ལྡན་དཔལ། ། traktung shönnu pawo tobden pal Glorious, powerful, and blood-drinking Youthful Hero, [ 2 ] དྲི་མེད་གསང་བདག་དགའ་རབ་མཚོ་སྐྱེས་རྗེ། ། drimé sangdak garab tsokyé jé Stainless Lord of Secrets [Vajrapani], Garab Dorje, the Lake-Born Lord, བདེ་ཆེན་མནྡཱ་ར་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། dechen mendara la solwa deb And Great Bliss Mandarava, to you I pray. སྦྱོར་སྒྲོལ་བརྟུལ་ཞུགས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་རཀྵི་ཏ། ། jordrol tulshuk tarchin rakshi ta Rakshita, who perfected the yogic observances of union and liberation, གྲུབ་བརྒྱའི་སྤྱི་མེས་ཕ་ཅིག་དམ་པ་རྗེ། ། drub gyé chimé pa chik dampa jé Lord Dampa, who is the sole forefather of a hundred adepts, ཌཱཀྐིའི་རྗེ་མོ་དབྱིངས་ཕྱུག་ལབ་ཀྱི་སྒྲོན། ། daki jemo yingchuk lab kyi drön Labdron, who is the lady of the dakinis and the queen of space, ཞི་གཅོད་བརྒྱུད་པར་བཅས་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། shi chö gyüpar ché la solwa deb Lineages of Pacification and Severance, to you I pray. ཨོ་རྒྱན་པད་བྱུང་བི་མའི་སྒྱུ་འཕྲུལ་གར། ། orgyen pé jung bi mé gyutrul gar Dancing illusory display of Padmasambhava of Oddiyana and Vimalamitra, ཟབ་གསང་བསྟན་པ་གཞིར་བཞེངས་སློང་མཛད་རྗེ། ། zabsang tenpa shir sheng long dzé jé Lord who brought forth the foundation of the profound and secret teachings, ཌཱ་ཀིའི་གསང་མཛོད་ཆེན་པོར་དབང་བསྒྱུར་བའི། ། daki sangdzö chenpor wang gyurwé Master of the magnificent, secret treasury of the dakinis— གཏེར་ཆེན་འཇའ་ལུས་རྡོ་རྗེར་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། terchen jalü dorjér solwa deb The great treasure-revealer, Jalu Dorje, to you I pray. མཁའ་སྤྱོད་བདེ་ལྡན་ཞིང་ན་ཝཱ་ར་ཧི། ། khachö deden shing na varahi Vajravarahi in the blissful realm of Khecara རྔ་ཡབ་གླིང་དུ་མེ་ཏོག་མནྡཱ་ར། ། ngayab ling du metok mendara And Mandarava Flower in Chamaradvipa, སླར་ཡང་བསྟན་འགྲོའི་དོན་དུ་མི་རྫུར་བྱོན། ། lar yang ten drö döndu mi dzur jön You came once again in the guise of a human for the benefit of the teachings and beings; ཡི་དམ་གྲུབ་བརྙེས་དངོས་གྲུབ་རྣམ་གཉིས་ཐོབ། ། yidam drub nyé ngödrub nam nyi tob Discovering the attainments of the deities, you gained the two accomplishments— ཡུམ་ཆེན་ཌཱ་ཀི་མཆོག་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། yumchen daki chok la solwa deb Great Mother and supreme dakini [ Losel Drolma ], [ 3 ] to you I pray. སྣང་སྲིད་དབང་བསྒྱུར་གྲུབ་བརྒྱའི་ཞལ་སྐྱིན་མཆོག ། nangsi wanggyur drub gyé shal kyin chok Supreme successor of a hundred adepts with mastery over all appearing existence; ཡེ་ཤེས་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གསང་གསུམ་བྱིན་བརྒྱུད་མཛོད། ། yeshe dorjé sang sum jin gyü dzö Yeshe Dorje’s three secrets, blessings, lineage, and treasuries— ཡོངས་ལ་དབང་བསྒྱུར་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་སྲས། ། yong la wanggyur ku sung tuk kyi sé Master of them all, a son of enlightened body, speech, and mind, བདེ་ཆེན་རིག་པའི་རལ་གྲིར་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། dechen rigpé raldrir solwa deb Dechen Rigpai Reltri , [ 4 ] to you I pray. བློས་བྱས་འདིར་སྣང་ཆོས་ཀུན་སྒྱུ་མའི་ངང་། ། löjé dir nang chö kün gyumé ngang In the state where all apparent, mind-made phenomena of this life are illusory, རྨི་ལམ་ཚུལ་གཟིགས་རེ་དང་དོགས་པ་བྲལ། ། milam tsul zik ré dang dokpadral You recognized their dream-like nature and were free from hope and doubt, ང་ཁྱོད་ཕྱོགས་རིས་ཀུན་བྲལ་འགྲོ་བའི་མགོན། ། nga khyö chokri kündral drowé gön Beyond all biased distinctions between self and other—protector of beings, སྐྱབས་མཆོག་བདེ་ཆེན་འོད་ཟེར་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། kyab chok dechen özer la solwa deb Supreme refuge, Dechen Ozer, [ 5 ] to you I pray. དྲི་མེད་མཁྱེན་པའི་ལྷ་ལམ་ཡངས་པ་ནས། ། drimé khyenpé lha lam yangpa né Through the vast, heavenly path of stainless knowledge, བརྩེ་བའི་སྙིང་རྗེའི་འོད་སྟོང་འབར་བའི་གཟིས། ། tsewé nyingjé ötong barwé zi You blaze brilliantly with the intense light of love and compassion འགྲོ་རྣམས་མུན་པའི་སྨག་རུམ་སེལ་མཛད་པ། dro nam münpé makrum sel dzepa And dispel the dense darkness of transmigrating beings, ཐུབ་བསྟན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྡོ་རྗེར་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། tubten chö kyi dorjér solwa deb Tubten Chokyi Dorje, [ 6 ] to you I pray. སྤང་རྟོགས་རྒྱལ་བ་རྣམས་དང་རོ་གཅིག་ཀྱང་། ། pang tok gyalwa nam dang ro chik kyang Although you are experientially the same as the victorious ones in renunciation and realization, ཐུགས་རྗེས་རྗེས་འཛིན་སངས་རྒྱས་དངོས་ལས་ལྷག ། tukjé jedzin sangye ngö lé lhak In your compassionate care for disciples, you are actually superior to the buddhas— བཀའ་དྲིན་མཚུངས་མེད་བསྟན་པའི་སྒྲོན་མེ་མཆོག ། kadrin tsungmé tenpé drönmé chok Incomparably gracious and supreme lamp of the teachings, དཔལ་མགོན་བླ་མ་མཆོག་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། palgön lama chok la solwa deb Glorious protector, supreme guru, to you I pray. རླབས་ཆེན་ཐུགས་བསྐྱེད་ཟབ་ཡངས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་ལས། ། lab chen tukkyé zab yang gyatso lé Great [blessing] waves from the extensive ocean of the profound awakening mind, སྨིན་གྲོལ་གདམས་པའི་ཆུ་བོ་རྣམ་པ་བཞིས། ། mindrol dampé chuwo nampa shi The four rivers of instructions concerning maturation and liberation, སྐལ་བཟང་གདུལ་བྱའི་ཞིང་ཀུན་ཁྱབ་མཛད་པའི། ། kalzang duljé shing künkhyab dzepé Pervade all realms containing disciples endowed with good fortune— དངོས་བརྒྱུད་བླ་མའི་ཚོགས་ལ་གསོལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། ngö gyü lamé tsok la sol solwa deb Assemblies of lineage gurus, to you I pray. སངས་རྒྱས་ཀུན་འདུས་བླ་མ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ། ། sangye kündü lama chö kyi ku Embodiment of all buddhas, dharmakaya guru, མ་ཅིག་ཡུམ་ཆེན་དབྱེར་མེད་བཀའ་དྲིན་ཅན། ། ma chik yumchen yermé kadrinchen Inseparable from the single, gracious Great Mother, སྙིང་ནས་གདུང་ཤུགས་དྲག་པོས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས། ། nying né dungshuk drakpö solwa deb I fervently pray to you from the depths of my heart! འཁྲུལ་སྣང་སྙེམས་བྱེད་བདུད་བཞི་ལས་རྒྱལ་ཞིང་། ། trulnang nyem jé dü shi lé gyal shing Bless me with victory over the four maras, creators of delusional perception and pride! སྐྱེ་མེད་ཆོས་སྐུ་རྟོགས་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་སློབས། ། kyemé chöku tokpar jin gyi lob Bless me to realize the unborn dharmakaya! རང་གི་ཐུགས་ཀའི་འོད་ཀྱིས་བསྐུལ་བས་ཕྱོགས་བཅུ་དུས་བཞིའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་བདུད་འདུལ་ཁྲོས་མ་ལྷ་ལྔའི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར་གྱི་རྣམ་པར་མདུན་གྱི་ནམ་མཁར་བཛྲ་ས་མ་ཡ་ཛཿ ཚོགས་ཞིང་མདུན་མཁར་སད་པར་བྱས་ནས་མཐར་ཛཿཧཱུྃ་བྃ་ཧོས་ཚོགས་ཞིང་རང་ལ་བསྡུ་པར་བྱའོ།། Light issues from my heart, invoking in the space before me the oceanic sources of refuge from the ten directions and three times in the aspect of the mandala of the five deities of the demon-subduing Fierce Mother [ 7 ] —Vajra Samaya Jah. The field of merit is thus awakened in the space before me. Finally, with Jah Hum Bam Hoh, the field of merit dissolves into me. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] This is an epithet for Samantabhadra. [2] This is the sixth of the twelve foundational teachers (ston pa bcu gnyis) of Dzogchen in this world-system. [3] Losel Drolma (1802–1861) was Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s half-sister and spiritual consort, as well as a custodian of his teachings and a respected Dzogchen teacher in her own right. BDRC P1GS138134 [4] Dechen Rigpai Reltri (1830–1896) was the second son of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. See: Treasury of Lives [5] Dechen Ozer Taye of Tsering Jong, the residence of Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798), was a student and scribe for Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. [6] The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chokyi Dorje (1872–1935). See: Treasury of Lives [7] The Fierce Mother, or Tröma Nakmo (khros ma nag mo). Photo credit: Himalayan Art Resources Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: April 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ye shes rdo rje. Edited by Rgyal dbang nyi ma. 1978. ' Dzin pa rang 'grol brgyud pa'i gsol 'debs bzhugs . In Gcod 'dzin pa rang grol gyi 'don cha'i skor, pp. 43–45. Paro: Ngondrub and Sherab Demy. BDRC W26033 A Lineage Prayer for the Natural Liberation of Grasping 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. 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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. 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 / 10:07 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 The Second Dzogchen Drubwang, Gyurme Tekchok Tendzin 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 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 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 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 short Dzogchen song of realization by Śākya Śrī, in which the master points to the natural liberation of all experience within the expanse of dharmatā. Abstract In this brief song of spiritual experience (nyams mgur ), the Drukpa Kagyü and Dzogchen master Śākya Śrī (1853–1919) sings of the view of Ati, the Great Perfection. Across five verses he points to the empty, luminous nature of mind itself, the self-liberation of whatever arises within the expanse of dharmatā, and the dissolution of subject and object, mindfulness and its object, and the five poisons into primordial wisdom. Each verse turns to address the practitioner directly—"O Dzogchenpa!"—calling them to rest in effortless self-liberation and abide in the natural state. BDRC MW23563 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma Kagyu INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century 19th Century TEACHERS Mipam Gyatso Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye bstan pa'i nyi ma pad+ma dri med 'od zer ye shes snang ba TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Dzogchen Monastery Swayambhunath Boudha Stupa Drugu Gon Namo Buddha STUDENTS kun lha bstan 'dzin bsod nams rgyal mtshan bsod nams bzang po Lama Monlam Rabzang Ngawang Tenzin Gyatso The Tenth Drukchen, Mipam Chokyi Wangpo Tokden Orgyen Tenzin Tersey Tulku Pelling Ani Wangdzin AUTHOR Śākya Śrī A Song of the Great Perfection A ho! Homage to the lama, Samantabhadra, the very nature of self-knowing awareness. Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, empty in themselves—whatever arises is sameness itself. Ati, the Great Perfection, lies beyond the reach of conceptual mind. Rest in effortless self-liberation, O Dzogchenpa! Mind itself, groundless, empty yet luminous, is the expanse of dharmatā. Whatever dualistic thoughts may arise—past, present, or future— Never straying from the expanse of dharmatā, they are liberated in their own place. Rely on authentic mindfulness, O Dzogchenpa! Mindfulness, its object, and the one who is mindful are free from concrete grasping. Mind and its objects are purified into the expanse of dharmatā. The five poisons, freed from the root, are an unbroken stream of primordial wisdom. Liberation upon arising, without bias or partiality—is this not so, O Dzogchenpa? Appearances have no objective reality; one's own mind is without intrinsic nature. Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are non-dual, beyond the sphere of subject and object. Everything is ineffable—empty and luminous, beyond the ordinary mind. Awareness and the expanse, without meeting or parting—is this not so, O Dzogchenpa? Within the primordial expanse, gain stability in rigpa. For the Sky Yogin, unceasingly, All days are exhausted into the expanse free from grasping. Abide in the natural state, O Dzogchenpa! COLPHON Thus this was sung as a song of personal experience by the Great Perfection Sky Yogin, the Venerable Śākya Śrī. NOTES None BIBLOGRAPHY Kathog Situ Chökyi Gyatso. Togden Shakya Shri: The Life and Liberation of a Tibetan Yogin. Translated and compiled by Elio Guarisco. 2nd ed. Arcidosso, Italy: Shang Shung Edizioni, 2011. Togden Shakya Shri (rTogs ldan shākya shrī). gSung ʼbum shākya shrī. 1 vols. Kathmandu: Khenpo Shedup Tenzin And Lama Thinley Namgyal, 1998. pp.700-701. BDRC MW23563 . A Song of the Great Perfection 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.

After reviving the wild animals he has slaughtered to satisfy a governor’s meat tax, Drukpa Kunle answers a group of prostitutes’ request for the story of his former lives with a comic song that turns his own habits, and theirs, into evidence of absurd past births. Abstract In the biography, this song follows one of Drukpa Kunle’s ( ’brug pa kun legs ) most extravagant miracle tales. At Shelkar Gyantse in Tsang ( gtsang shel dkar rgyang rtse ), he is summoned before Depa Morongne ( sde pa mo rong gnas ), the fortress governor, after being found in the house of the prostitute A-dzom ( a ’dzom ), where he was drinking, embracing her and behaving provocatively. The governor accuses Kunle of killing wild animals belonging to the hermitage of Ganden ( ri khrod dga’ ldan ) and, despite the reduction in taxes owed by the people of Ralung ( rwa lung ), he cites other offences too, committed against its community. He demands one hundred carcasses as a meat tax. Kunle replies that the law of King Yama, the King of Dharma ( gshin rje chos kyi rgyal po ), and the consequences of karma should come before any such demand. Nevertheless, the following morning he drives one hundred and fifty wild animals through Gyantse to the governor’s gates. When the governor insists that he requires meat rather than live animals, Kunle kills and butchers them on the spot. Appalled, the governor renounces the tax and promises that Kunle’s Drukpa ( ’brug pa ) descendants will never again have to pay the Tsang meat tax. Kunle then snaps his fingers and commands the animals to return to Ganden. They rise, put on their skins and hastily seize their heads, some taking the wrong one, so that some of the smaller creatures are left with oversized heads. Faith overwhelms the governor and his attendants. Offering a confession, the governor touches his head to Kunle’s feet, cuts his hair and becomes a lay bodhisattva. Soon afterwards, Kunle is back among the prostitutes, singing. Having witnessed, or heard of, his killing and revival of living beings, the women ask him to recount his former lives, convinced that he must be an emanation of a Buddha. His reply is this mock-confessional song. Each of his present habits, from bodhicitta and lust to miserliness, fastidiousness and thieving, becomes evidence of a suitably absurd former birth. The women recognise that, under the pretence of speaking about himself, he is exposing their own faults, but they acknowledge that whatever he says never departs from the Dharma. BDRC MW3CN15680 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Drukpa Kagyu CLAN Gya HISTORICAL PERIOD 15th Century 16th Century TEACHERS kun dga' chos kyi rgya mtsho Pema Lingpa The Second Drukchen, Kunga Peljor bsod nams mchog ldan The Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf English edited by Libby Hogg INSTITUTIONS Ralung Monastery Tango Lampar Monastery Nyel Drewule Gon STUDENTS Unknown AUTHOR Drukpa Kunle I Must Have Been Once again, I went to the whorehouse and was hanging around with the prostitutes and singing songs. The women said, "Drukpa Kunle, you have just performed the killing and reviving of sentient beings. We've had quite the show! You must surely be an emanation of a Buddha from a former birth . Please tell us the history of your past lives." With which I replied as follows: I remember many of my former lives. This way that bodhicitta arises in my mindstream— I must have been a Buddha in a former life. This taste for food from the faithful and offerings for the dead— I must have been a petty lama in a former life. This hoarding, this piling up of riches— I must have been a steward in a former life. This great lust of mine— I must have been a bee in a former life. These yellow, jealous eyes of mine— I must have been a cock in a former life. This vigour, this energy I bring to whoring— I must have been a realised yogi in a former life. This sheer stinginess of mine— I must have been a rich man in a former life. This way I clamp the openings of my containers so tight— I must have been a nun in a former life. This fussy, fastidious way of mine— [1] I must have been childless in a former life. This way I covet everything that meets my eye— I must have been a Khampa in a former life. This way my zeal for thievery burns so hot— I must have been a young maiden in a former life. This way I boast and brag, flaunting my own wares— I must have been a merchant in a former life. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] The printed text reads ཞིམ་ཚག ( zhim tshag ), which does not yield a clear sense here. We tentatively read it as ཞིབ་ཚག ( zhib tshag ), “fastidious” or “overly particular,” which fits both the syntax and the sense of the verse. BIBLIOGRAPHY Rdo rje gdan pa Mi pham tshe dbang bstan ’dzin. 1988. ’Gro ba’i mgon po Kun dga’ legs pa’i rnam thar Mon spa gro sogs kyi mdzad spyod rnams. Dharamsala: Tibetan Cultural Printing Press. BDRC MW3CN15680 . Published Septemeber 2026 I Must Have Been 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.

Treasure Revealer Dudjom Lingpa 1835–1903 BDRC P705 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE HAR Dudjom Lingpa, born in 1835 in the Serta valley of eastern Tibet, was a renowned Nyingma treasure revealer (tertön) and Dzogchen master recognized as a reincarnation of Tertön Dudul Dorje . From an early age, he experienced profound visionary encounters with deities, heroes, and ḍākinīs, who guided him toward his destiny as a teacher and revealer of sacred texts. Despite a nomadic and challenging lifestyle, he uncovered several treasure cycles, including the widely practiced Dudjom Tersar lineage, and cultivated a family of influential spiritual heirs. Known for his unconventional and rugged persona, Dudjom Lingpa’s teachings bridged ancient Tibetan spiritual wisdom with a fresh, accessible approach, earning him lasting reverence among Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. Guidebook Hidden Sacred Land of Pemakö Dudjom Lingpa Dudjom Lingpa maps Pemakö's sacred geography, revealing its power spots, deity abodes, and purifying landscapes through traditional guidebook wisdom and spiritual insight. 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 Ngawang Palzang's morning devotional rings clear and true with tantra's essential message: devotion stands as the highest practice. Abstract In this succinct text, a practice a devotee resounds in the early morning, Khenpo Ngawang Palzang strikes a central point of Buddhist tantra and rings the ever-sounding bell in the belfry of devotion. BDRC LINK MW22946 _6A9C9F DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:11 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 Devotion is the Highest Practice [1] ཐོ་རེངས་མལ་ནས་ལྡང་བའི་དུས། ། In the early morning, as you rise from bed, recite: དུས་གསུམ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་ངོ་བོ་དཔལ་ལྡན་རྩ་བའི་བླ་མ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཁྱེན་ནོ། ། dü sum sang gyé tam ché kyi ngowo penden tsawé la ma rin po ché khyen no Glorious, precious root guru, essence of all the buddhas of the three times, please think of me! བདག་གི་རྒྱུད་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཏུ་གསོལ། ། dak gi gyü jin gyi lap tu söl Please bless my mindstream! ལུས་ལ་བདེ་བ་སྐྱེ་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། lü la dewa kyewar jin gyi lop Please bless me with bliss born in my body! ངག་ལ་ནུས་པ་འབར་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། ngak la nü pa barwar jin gyi lop Please bless my speech to blaze in its own command! [ 2 ] སེམས་ལ་རྟོགས་པ་འཆར་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། sem la tok pa charwar jin gyi lop Please bless me with the dawning of realizations in my mind! ཚེ་འདི་བློ་ཡིས་ཐོང་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། tsé di lo yi tongwar jin gyi lop Please bless me to give up thoughts of this life! ངེས་འབྱུང་བློ་སྣ་སྐྱེ་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། ngé jung lo na kyewar jin gyi lop Please bless me with an attitude of renunciation! བདག་འཛིན་འཁྲུལ་བ་འཇིག་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། dakdzin trülwa jik par jin gyi lop Please bless me to demolish the confusion of self-clinging! བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་མཆོག་སྐྱེ་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། ། jang chup sem chok kyewar jin gyi lop Please bless me with supreme awakened mind! COLOPHON ཞེས་བླ་མ་ལ་མོས་གུས་ཕུར་ཚུགས་སུ་བྱའོ། ། This was written in fervent devotion to the guru. NOTES [1] There seems to be a play on the word lama ( bla ma ), which means both guru and “highest.” In the title, “Devotion” is placed next to lama with no grammar particle clarifying the relation. Such juxtapositions usually indicate apposition. In between lama and practice/path ( lam khyer ), there is a genitive particle making “highest” the qualifier of “practice.” The short colophon arranges “devotion” and lama a little differently, where lama is given first in the accusative case, followed by devotion. In this arrangement, the meaning is clearly “devotion to the lama/guru.” [2] This line is rendered loosely, simply for stylistic reasons. The general meaning is unambiguous. A literal translation could be “Bless potency/power/mastery to blaze in my speech.” When we refer to someone with excellent skill in speech, we often say they have great “command.” Published: September 2022 BIBLIOGRAPHY mkhan po ngag dgaʼ. mos gus bla maʼi lam khyer . In gsung ʼbum ngag dbang dpal bzang , 1: 628–29. khreng tu’u. BDRC MW22946_6A9C9F . Devotion is the Highest Practice 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

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. 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 ༄༅། ། 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 . 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 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.

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

This 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. Abstract 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. The three-tiered practice system offers progressive visualisation methods: the outer practice presents Zhepe Dorje as a monastic teacher, the inner practice depicts him as a tantric master, and the secret practice reveals him as a naked ascetic. BDRC LINK MW22130 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 02:26 TRADITION Geluk | Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Lelung Jedrung HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century TEACHERS The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso The Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobzang Yesh e Damchö Zangpo Mingyur Paldrön Chöje Lingpa Dönyö Khedrup The First Purchok, Ngawang Jampa Ngawang Chödrak Yeshe Gyatso Damchö Gyatso Losal Gyatso Lhundrub Gyatso Dungkar Tsangyang Drugdrak The Second Dzogchen Drubwang, Gyurme Tekchok Tendzin TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Lelung Monastery Mindröling Ngari Dratsang Chökhor Gyal Trandruk Potala Tsāri STUDENTS Kunga Mingyur Dorj e Dorje Yom e Kunga Paldzom Lobzang Lhachok Dönyö Khedrub Polhane Sönam Tobgy e Ngawang Jampa Mingyur Paldrön The Fifth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Kalzang Pema Wangchuk Lhasang Khan AUTHOR Lelung Zhepe Dorje The Outer, Inner, and Secret Practice Cycle of Zhepe Dorje Namo ḍākinī ye! I received the outer, inner, and secret practice cycles of Zhepe Dorje from Lhachik Nyima Zhönu in the Iron Male Dog year (1730). E ma! For Zhepe Dorje, there are outer, inner, and secret explanations. For those wishing to accomplish the outer practice, Visualise Zhepe Dorje in monastic attire, Seated in a lama’s teaching posture, In a place that is either the sangha's joyous garden Or atop the stupa's tiered chambers— Before a Dharma wheel with a retinue of renunciants, Surrounded by many śrāvakas— Make supplications with deep yearning and clear resonance. For those wishing to accomplish the inner practice, Visualise Zhepe Dorje in the form of a master of mantra, Appearing in any attire, free from convention. His dwelling places are forest groves, riverbanks, Solitary abodes, rocky mountains, villages, and so forth. Visualise [him] in various forms and surrounded by a diverse retinue, Seated in the centre of the gaṇacakra gathering— Then make feast offerings, Fire offerings, water offerings, and others. [179] For those wishing to accomplish the secret practice, Visualise Zhepe Dorje as a naked ascetic Engaged in the conduct of invoking blessings. Bearing many implements—thigh bone trumpet, ḍamaru, bell, and conch shell, Surrounded by a hundred thousand beautiful young women, He binds ḍākinīs, ging, and lang as servants [1] Proclaiming HŪṂ PHAṬ BHYO, His abodes are haunted places and charnel grounds, where he roams. Meditate on maintaining the yogic observances, Take up the HŪṂ song and raise awareness, Dispatch with PHAṬ and mix space and awareness, Proclaim fierce cries, longing songs, and whistles. Colophon Thus, having received authorisation, this was written down in the Miracle Month of the Iron Female Pig year (1731). This completes the great chapter of Zhepe Dorje's practice cycle. NOTES [1] Ging (ging) and lang (glang) are classes of spirits in Tibetan Buddhism—ging often depicted as fierce skeletal figures and lang as messenger spirits. Published: January 2026 BIBLIOGRAPHY Sle lung rje drung Bzhad pa’i rdo rje. 1983–1985. Bzhad pa’i rdo rje’i phyi nang gsang gsum gyi sgrub skor . In Gsung ’bum Bzhad pa’i rdo rje , vol. 12, 193–195. Leh: T. Sonam and D. L. Tashigang. BDRC MW22130_1813C6 The Outer, Inner, and Secret Practice Cycle of Zhepe Dorje VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

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