The reincarnation lineage of Tsoknyi Özer exemplified supreme devotion - illustrated by the Third Tsoknyi's offering of his burning finger as a lamp to fulfill his guru's wishes. A Brief Biography: The Successive Incarnations of Tsoknyi Özer The lord of the wheel of the infinite ocean of the three roots, The sole refugee of limitless sentient beings, The unrivalled knowledge holder of the three times, I supplicate at the feet of Tsoknyi Öser. THE FIRST INCARNATION The first Tsoknyi Öser was born in a place called Dewa Tang, Kyodrak in the twelfth sexagenary cycle of the Fire Snake Year, 1737, to a father named Kharpa Puntsok. Having been endowed with the characteristics of the excellent ones from a young age and with a great interest in virtuous activities, he went on pilgrimage to central Tibet. Thus, he met the Thirteenth Karmapa Düdül Dorjé (1733/34–1797/98) [ 1 ] and received many spiritual instructions. [At that time,] the Karmapa recognised him as the emanation of Chöjé Lingpa (1682–1720) [ 2 ] and performed many activities including this prophecy: “Since your future disciples and beneficial activities are in Kyodrak, go there and benefit them. In the future, you will be more valuable than others for the Barom teachings.” As such, the Karmapa bestowed upon him the name Tsoknyi Öser. Having returned home, he received the complete instructions of the liberating methods of the victorious Barom tradition from Saljé Chödrub Senggé. Subsequently, as there had only been black yak-haired tents in the encampment of Kyodrak, he built a fort called Pur Khang in 1779. There he conducted meditational practices, rituals, and offerings. In the Wood Dog Year, 1785, of the thirteenth sexagenary cycle, Tsoknyi Öser constructed Kyodrak Monastery’s new assembly hall along with the representations of the enlightened body, speech, and mind. His enlightened activities spread and flourished: He established the tradition of Chöjé Lingpa’s revealed treasure teachings. He became the object of worship for the people of China, Tibet, and Mongolia. He [built] innumerable and invaluable representations of the enlightened body, speech, and mind and established retreat centres at multiple hermitages. In brief, he greatly spread and proliferated the teachings of both theory and practice such as the dances, mask dances, and melodies in accordance with the traditions of previous knowledge holders. As such, Kyodrak Monastery installed him on the vajra throne, and everyone highly respected him as a great being and holder of the teachings. THE SECOND INCARNATION The second Tsoknyi was born to a father named Wön Tenzin Norbu and a mother named Sönam Drönma who was the chieftainess of Tsang Sar. He was recognised by the Fifth Dung Kar Śrī Bhadra of Kyodrak, who named him Karma Tsewang Künkhyab. He achieved the primordial wisdom of the aural lineage as he was primarily focused on meditation practice. Due to his yogic observances, he established everything he saw or heard onto the path of liberation. Certain aspects such as the dates of his birth and death are not available. In the end, he died at the age of sixty [ 3 ] and attained the rūpakāya, the form body. THE THIRD INCARNATION The third incarnation was born with a number of wondrous signs in the lower part of the Sengge district in Kham in the Earth Male Mouse year, 1828. His father was named Orgyen Gönpo and his mother Drongza Lhamo Dröl. Shugu Tendar, a monk from Kyodrak, knowledgeable in medicine and astrology, named him saying: “Since this child has good astrological signs, the name Tashi Tsegon should be given to him.” Since he was the descendent of the dignitary Lhagyari, a royal lineage of the dharma kings of Tibet, from a young age everyone called him Lhabu, the Divine Son. When an elder guru of Khang Né Monastery conferred the empowerment of Vajrakīla, the guru encouraged those who knew the mantra to recite the approach mantra for Vajrakīla and for those who did not, to recite the approach mantra for Vajrapāṇi. The Lord Lhabu, also, made a mala of kyerpa wood ( berberis aristate ) and performed over ten million prostrations and recitations of the approach mantra. Since he meditated on a protection circle, he was free from obstacles. From a young age, he had visions of Yeshé Gönpo, Padmasambhava, and Banak Genyen amongst others. Even while playing, he acted only in conformity with the doctrine. Frightened by the shortcomings of cyclic existence, he developed renunciation in his heart. In his dreams, he had many visions of Yeshé Chokyang, the Dharma Protector of Primordial Wisdom. From the fully ordained monk Ralo Tarlam of Kyodrak Monastery, he learned the way to posit the view and received experiential instructions on the way of meditating on Avalokiteśvara and Padmasambhava. Due to this, when he became slightly older, he already had a great propensity for the doctrine. On a number of occasions, he had pure visions of such things as sights, sounds, and awareness appearing as deity, mantra, and dharmakaya. When Karma Döndam Jigdral Wangpo, the reincarnation of Nedo Karma Dechen, gave instructions on th e Cutting Through ( trekchö ) and Leaping Over ( tögal ) meditational practices of the Peaceful and Wrathful Karling cycle to his father and some other people, [Lhabu] joined them. Consequently, his view was enhanced, and he realised the avenues through which the six lamps shine forth. After that, due to an unfathomable amount of blame and loss, the relatives, servants, mother and son left home and wandered to many different places. When they arrived in Tsari, he said there were ḍākinīs enjoying a tantric feast and they instructed him: “Yogin, eat this human flesh!” Two ḍākinīs stuffed human flesh into his mouth immediately saturating his mind and body with bliss. These were only some of the marvellous things that occurred. [While there], he visited the majority of the sacred sites in Ü and Tsang in central Tibet and then once again returned home. At the age of twenty-two in the Earth Bird Year, (1849), a strong attitude of renunciation enveloped his mind. He went to the Fifth Trülshik Mahāpaṇḍita, Palden Gyurmé Tsewang Trinlé, the victor of all the directions, and in the temple of Do Ngak Shedrub Ling he firstly took refuge and then the fundamental precepts. He changed his appearance and clothing and was given the name Ngawang Tsoknyi. A person of good faith offered him auspicious articles and yoghurt. He filled his bowl with the yoghurt and gave butter and cheese in return. With those actions, many auspicious doors were made. In the sixth lunar month, when the newly founded tradition of the first great accomplishment ceremony of The Eight Pronouncements: The Assembly of the Sugata was established, he was appointed as the leader of the practice sessions. Knowing that his guru and Padmasambhava were inseparable, he developed overpowering devotion. After that, for about two years, he memorised [texts] and even performed such activities as assisting around the monks’ quarters and fetching water. All the lamas and monks treated him lovingly due to his kind nature. He received numerous instructions, oral transmissions, and empowerments of Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen from A Deu Rinpoche and Yongdzin Lama Tenwang and engaged in their accompanying preliminary practices and purifications. When Tsoknyi was twenty-four, the Refuge-protector A Deu Rinpoche peacefully passed away. In order to fulfil his guru’s aspirations, he [set] the ring finger of his right hand [on fire] as an offering lamp. He was fully ordained by Tenpé Nyima of Taglung Monastery and was bestowed the name Mipham Loden. He received a great number of oral transmissions and empowerments including The Hundred Transmissions of Mitra ( Mitra Gyatsa ). Since Tenpé Nyima introduced him to the main practice of Mahāmudrā, he developed the faith that perceives the guru as a real buddha, and blessings entered him. The moment he met Rigzin Chögyal Dorjé (1789–1865/59), [ 4 ] in particular, an unbearable and blazing devotion arose, and their minds mixed as one. At different times when it was suitable, he received many empowerments, oral transmissions, and instructions including the instructions of the preliminary and main practices of Mahāmudrā of the glorious Drukpa [Kagyü tradition], the profound instructions of the [Dzogchen] rüshen practice, or the preliminary practice of differentiation, of the Peaceful and Wrathful Karling cycle along with the introduction of the main practice, the empowerment and instructions of the co-emergent Cakrasaṃvara and the two-faced Vajravārāhī, the supportive teachings for the Six Yogas of Nāropa, various oral instructions, numerous cycles of the aural transmission, and the profound treasure of The Wrathful Sky-Blue Guru ( Guru Drakting ). Furthermore, he relied upon many gurus including the incarnation of Vima, Karma Tengyé Chöpel, and the Seventh Chögön, Chökyi Nyinché as well as extensively receiving teachings of maturation and liberation. He reciprocally gave various suitable empowerments and oral transmissions to and from Trülshik Kyabné Trinlé Gyatso, Nagpo Togden, and Guru Pünchö, etc. In the Iron Pig Year (1851) at the age of twenty-four, he entered into strict retreat. After nine months had passed, despite running out of provisions, he was able to remain for about four years through engaging in immeasurable austerities. One time, when Rigzin Chögyal Dorjé had arrived at the meditation room of his retreat hut, the Lord Chögyal Dorjé bestowed upon him the profound treasure of The Wrathful Sky-Blue Guru , which he himself had extracted from Nyengyal Dorjé Khyung Citadel. He also conferred the empowerment, oral transmission, and instructions of The Guru White Jambhala: The Deity of Wealth ( Lama Nor Lha Dzam Kar ). In the catalogue of vajra prophecies it says: “At that time in Tibet when a short period of happiness like the glimpsing of the sun, a custodian of the teachings, a hidden yogi who is the emanation of Muné Tsenpo (8th–9th century) named Gaṇa will invoke an emanation of mine from eastern Ü named Dharmasūrya Candrabhadra. This emanation is a custodian of the doctrine and special transmissions and possesses the wisdom eye.” According to that prophecy, he is indicated as being that very custodian of the doctrine. The [guru] prophesied: “I offer this advice to you in place of retreat provisions. Put them into practice and you will not remain in your current state. You will have disciples, fame, students, and patrons in addition to power, wealth, and unrivalled authority.” The Lord [Tsoknyi] replied: “I have renounced this life. From a primordial state that is able to be content and has little desires, I focus the depths of my mind on the dharma. The depth of the dharma is to live as a beggar, the depth of living as a beggar is to live that way until death, and the depth of living that way until death is to entrust myself to a mountainous hermitage. In doing so, like Milarepa, I wish for a life untainted by the stains of the eight worldly concerns. The ordinary accomplishments are of no need.” The [guru] replied: “Even if you say you want it to be like that, you should wait and see how it turns out.” As such, Tsoknyi mixed excrement and urine together, smeared and spread it all over the meditation cave. This was greatly auspicious, and it increased his followers and enlightened activities as it was prophesied. When he was practicing the approach and accomplishment phases of The Wrathful Sky-Blue Guru there were many great signs including the guardians of the teachings actually displaying their forms, the eight classes of gods and rākṣasas displaying magical machinations, tumultuous noise, and a cacophony of sounds. Rid of intimidation and fear, he overpowered these challenging signs through the sheer brilliance of his vajra-like concentration. As an indication of this, they offered their life and heart to him. All of those who beheld lineages of the dharma, accepted him as one who dispels all adverse conditions and accomplishes any and all favourable conditions. From then onwards, his enlightened activities flourished even further: Humans congregated during the day and gods and demons assembled during the night. In the evenings and mornings, clothes and food were gathered. As all those were accumulated, the guru’s prophecy came to be true. When he performed the approach and accomplishment of the principal and retinue deities of Guru Orgyen: The Deity of Wealth: The White Jambhala, he had visions of the assembly of deities. One day, in particular, a stream of melted butter flowed down from the support beam of his meditation room and, in a single stroke, made his clothes and belongings very greasy. He himself even declared: “Due to engaging in severe austerities and the interdependency from accomplishing the White Jambhala , my successive students will not be impoverished as they will have food, clothing, and resources.” This can even be seen directly today. Generally, without any effort, he would have pure visions of whichever deity he practiced, as well as having visions of various other deities. He even composed an instructional text for The Wrathful Sky-Blue Guru . He newly constructed a retreat centre called Khachö Chödzong Dechen Rabar. Since he practiced The Three Bodies of the Guru ( Lama Kusum ), for seven years, the remaining beneficial karma from his past lives of Langdo Lotsawa Könchok Jungné (8th century) [ 5 ] and Ratna Lingpa (1403–1479) [ 6 ] was activated. All the physical yogas of the vajra body clearly arose in the mirror of his mind, which are contained in his mind-sadhana practice. In his pure vision, the wisdom body of Ratna Lingpa often took care of him, disclosing to him the secretly sealed [teachings] of the five kinds of secret instructions along with the physical yogas and giving him the secrets of the open and direct instructions. In this way, Ratna Lingpa was his companion on the path and his primordial wisdom flourished [due to this relationship]. There are numerous wondrous narratives such as those. [Through this] he received the name Pema Drimé Öser. In the Wood Monkey Year, (1884), Jamgön Kongtrül [Lodrö Tayé] (1813–1899) [ 7 ] bestowed upon him the cycles of the aural lineage concerning the path of skilful means, and he also received the complete instructions of the five stages of Ratna Lingpa’s The Exceptional Assembly of the Accomplishment of the Enlightened Mind ( Tugdrub Yangdü ). He was particularly praised as “Tsoknyi, the lord of the accomplished ones.” [Jamgön Kongtrül] also received many teachings from the Lord [Tsoknyi]. After that, he eventually came to Kyodrak by passing through Gadzo, Palshung, Tamkha, and Kyadzo. Since Lama Sal [Ga Rinpoche], Ten [Nying Rinpoche], Dung [Kar Rinpoche], and his father’s family had a profound patron-priest relationship, their good intentions integrated as one in both spiritual and temporal affairs. In particular, the Lord accepted Dungkyé Rinpoche Rigzin Düdjom Dorjé, who was the supreme guru of the previous lifetimes, to be the emanation of Barom Darma Wangchuk (1127–1194?). [ 8 ] He recited the seven-syllable mantra of Cakrasaṃvara hundreds of millions of times. He received the six dharmas of Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen from Chögyal Dorjé. Through engaging in the practices, he actually discovered the signs of accomplishment. From this unrivalled and excellent being [Chögyal Dorjé], who had visions of a multitude of deities and so forth, he received the Barom Mahāmudrā cycle of teachings concerning the six dharmas of The Lord of Bliss ( Degon ), Tulku Mingyur Dorjé’s (1645–1667) [ 9 ] pure vision teachings of The Sky Teachings (Namchö), and The Unified Oral and Treasure Teachings ( Karter Sungjuk ), written by the doctrine holder Chödak Chagmé Rinpoche (1613–1678), [ 10 ] which is an ancillary text to the mind treasures [of Mingyur Dorjé]. He received all of their empowerments and oral transmissions in their entirety. He also offered long-life prayers of the gurus as well as some of the empowerments and oral transmissions in return. Upon the invitations of his paternal relative Sowang Pün, his former enemy Rakshu Tsewang Dargé, Surmang Ati, and others, he gave instructions and spiritual advice, establishing them in the doctrine. Then he went into a strict retreat in the cave of Khyungtra having taken upon himself a tantric commitment. Banak Genyen, the protector of that sacred site, offered its life and heart to him, and Tsoknyi accepted him at his word. Then Banak Genyen gave him a key for the enlightened activities of magnetisation, and Tsoknyi was able to compose a profound meditational practice of that treasure protector [Banak Genyen]. With a seal of secrecy, he offered it to the gurus, abbots, and masters of Kyodrak Monastery, where the text can still be found. His experience and realisation thrived. He went to U, Tsang, and other destinations where he combined his beneficial works for sentient beings and for the practice. Finally, at the age of sixty-one on the twenty-ninth day of the fourth month of the Earth Mouse Year, 1888, he peacefully passed away. He had a great number of students including the Ninth Gyalwang Ngedön Tenpé Nyiché, the Sixth Jé Khamtrül Tenpé Nyima, the Sixth Trülshik A Dé Gyalsé, Tari Ngawang Chöjor, Togden Ngawang Gelek, Gechak Togden Ngawang Tsangyang Gyatso, Jamé Chöpal Gyatso, Jamtrül Tenpé Gyaltsen, Dru Jamyang Drakpa, Dompa Lama Püntsok Chögrub, Taru Togden Chöying Namdak, Lang Ngawang Lhündrup, Geshé Tenzin Sangpo, Künkhen Tsewang Namgyal, Ngor Khen Künga Tenzin, Nagpo Tertön Garwang Yeshé Rölpa, and Ngawang Namgyal Tenpa. THE FOURTH INCARNATION The fourth Tsoknyi, Lhagyal Dorjé, was born in the Chugru family of Kyodrak. He was recognised by the great treasure revealer Barwé Dorjé and gave him the name Tsoknyi Lhagyal Dorjé. Numerous historical accounts were lost during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) including his biography and the dates of birth and death. So, there is no clear account of him. THE FIFTH INCARNATION Foremost adept in the Land of Snows, Heart son of the lineage of Marpa, Mila, and Dakpo, Regarded as the reincarnation of Chöjé Lingpa, Tsoknyi Öser, I revere you full-heartedly. Although I do not possess the skills to write The outer, inner, and secret biographies of this excellent being, With the help of ancient records and oral narratives of the older generations My fingers felt at ease in penning them into words. The birthplace of the fifth incarnation, Tsoknyi Öser Karma Khyenrab Lodrö Chökyi Döndrub, [ 11 ] was in Kyodrak, [ 12 ] which is divided into two [areas called] Nang and Sog. [ 13 ] His birthplace was in the upper Sog district. This virtuous and auspicious sacred place has adopted its name because it is “where the dharma robes of Guru Rinpoche once dried,” as well as a place where a statue of Dorjé Drolö miraculously appeared. This marvellous sacred place was also predicted in the religious song of the great treasure revealer, Barwa Dorjé, [ 14 ] which says, “In this auspicious and virtuous place of Tranang Tashi valley, [ 15 ] there will be congregations of young men and horses.” In this place, where greatly accomplished ones have visited, the son, Karma Khyenrab Lodrö Chökyi Döndrub, was born on the twenty-eighth day of the eleventh month the Earth Bird Year, 1969, to his father Sé Pema and his mother Yesa Geyang. [ 16 ] During the turbulent times, [ 17 ] the retreat master Alho Nyingjé of Pedong [ 18 ] and other practitioners had no choice but to dig for caterpillar fungus to pay tax. When they arrived at the mountain, Alho Nyingjé continuously meditated. His student Sé Pema (Tsoknyi’s father) provided different kinds of service for him, including digging for fungus to cover both their taxes. At that time, Lama Anying stayed at Khong Yerpo, [ 19 ] where his mind dissolved into the sphere of reality (i.e. he passed away). One day, Alho Nyingjé made plans to come to the place known as Gepa Yangshar Yechok Shingkyong Yabyum (Parents of the Local Protectors of the Steep Cliff Facing East). [ 20 ] When his student Sé Pema arrived, he was not there. But Alho Nyingjé arrived after a short wait. Sé Pema asked, “Where did you go? I have been waiting for you here.” Alho Nyingjé answered along with providing a prophecy, “I fell asleep for a short while. When I fell asleep, I dreamt that you would have a son who will be a great help for the Barom teachings, but I am not sure that others will believe this.” Similarly, many noble beings prophesied in the same way. Furthermore, in the past, when Dungtrül Rinpoche came to Khatsa Traba, [ 21 ] Sé Pema helped him to set up his residence. When Dungtrül Rinpoche arrived at the monastery, he said to Sé Pema: “Your eldest son is the heart of your family. He is a superior being, but do not tell others.” Thus, he recognised him as Tsoknyi Rinpoche, but no one was informed for five years. When Situ Pema Wangchok Gyalpo [ 22 ] visited Kyodrak before 1958, he was strongly requested to recognise the reincarnation of Tsoknyi Öser, but he said, “There is no need to hurry now because in the future there will be someone who will certainly benefit the Dharma and sentient beings. As the saying goes, ‘although the gold is under the earth, its light shines in the sky.’ We can recognise him at a later time.” As such, based on the prophecies made by the Karmapa Düdül Dorjé now the karma and aspirations had ripened in time. When Saljé Rinpoche was on a strict retreat at Samten Chöling, Tsoknyi had an audience with him and received advice. Many natural, auspicious interdependent connections occurred during this audience, such as when Tsoknyi reached the top of the ladder, Saljé Rinpoche was carrying a full bowl of white yoghurt. Saljé Rinpoche said, “Tashi delek, come inside.” When Tsoknyi was prostrating three times, Rinpoche hurriedly said, “Please sit down.” Tsoknyi sat on the cushion, and the student and master had a long conversation beginning with inquiring about each other’s well-being. During lunchtime, some Taiwanese and Hong Kong students of Saljé Rinpoche were also present. When Saljé Rinpoche said, “Tsoknyi Rinpoche,” Tsoknyi said, “I have not used that name, and I am not willing to use it! There is a danger that it will produce pride in me.” Saljé Rinpoche said, “It was a slip of the tongue, but it has created good interdependent connections.” After that, Saljé Rinpoche offered another bowl of white yoghurt to him and said, “I am offering this to Tsoknyi with the aspiration that he receives complete instruction and benefits all sentient beings.” Tsoknyi remarked, “This is like the old story of the village girl Lekyima offering yoghurt to the Buddha, the Bhagavān. Because she offered yoghurt, she was blessed with peace throughout the three times and the realisation of the pure essence of the supreme wisdom. Hence with this aspiration, I’ll drink it all without leaving any behind.” From a young age, he possessed many excellent signs. For example, when the monastery was first granted approval, [ 23 ] many people used to gather in the dance hall, and the numbers were immense. Due to the small size of the hall, queues formed outside. Having moved through in file, he made it inside without any difficulties. This was the first time he heard the sounds of Dharma, and his mind was filled with joy due to his previous karma. After a brief moment, he and his father reluctantly had to leave due to overcrowding. However, in his heart, his desire to join prayer gatherings became like that of a thirsty person discovering water; yet since it was impossible, he could do nothing but cry. His mother said, “Don’t do that. Those people also need to join [the prayer gathering]. If you learn how to read, you will be able to become a monk.” Upon hearing these comforting words and from the incredible joy he felt, it seems that his karmic propensities awoke. Thus, he went to learn to read and write. [In relation to this] his father let the young boy sleep with him in his bed. Every morning his kind-hearted father chanted Shaking Samsara from the Depths [ 24 ] prayer and every evening The Kīla Prayer . As a result, the young boy learnt The Kïla Prayer easily even before learning to read. Moreover, he had delightful experiences and dreams. However, I fear there would be too many words, so I shall not write them here. While he was offering his hair [ 25 ] to Saljé Rinpoche of Kyodrak in 1982, Rinpoche asked, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Tsültrim Nyima.” Rinpoche replied, “Usually, we change the name when we perform the hair-cutting ceremony, but your name is good, so let us leave it as it is.” This was the moment he entered the Buddhist tradition. On that spring day, there was a bit of drizzle and fog had gathered on top of the sacred mountain of Gardzé. [ 26 ] On that distant mountain, he saw the Dzachu river, resembling a turquoise dragon ascending into the sky, and grass sprouting on the grounds of Kyodrak Monastery. Consequently, he stated that it was a difficult place to forget since he was very fortunate to have had that opportunity. Then, having enrolled in the monastery, he studied the monastic education programme in its entirety—learning ritual dances, musical instruments, and other disciplines. He also received a lot of exceptional instructions on [the paths of] means and liberation. From Jamyang Lodrö Rinpoche, [ 27 ] he received the cycles of teachings of the Barom tradition and empowerments and pith instructions. He received many empowerments and pith instructions from Saljé Rinpoche, who is endowed with the three types of kindness, and Dungtrül Rinpoche. [ 28 ] He received precepts of renunciation and the name Tsültrim Sangpo and also received the empowerment of The Kīla of the Secret Essence [ 29 ] from the Abbot Karma Jampa Yönten or Do Dé Rinpoche. [ 30 ] Moreover, he received various empowerments and transmissions from Sanggyé Tenzin, [ 31 ] over the course of a month. In particular, Rabjor Rinpoche [ 32 ] and Tsoknyi received the empowerment and instructions of the single lineage. On top of that, he received teachings on the medical sciences and The Four Tantras with its empowerment from Wön Gelek and Rabpel. [ 33 ] He received the details of the [medical] practices for those tantras from Wön Gelek. He also received teachings on astrology and other instructions from the chant master and vajra master of the monastery, Abbot Karma Orgyen, and education on Tibetan grammar, A Guide of the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life ( Bodhicaryāvatāra ), and other teachings from abbots and masters. From the yogi Yeshé Rabgyé, [ 34 ] he began to learn Nāropa’s Six Yogas of the path of skilful means and the Barom tradition’s practice of Mahāmudrā of the path of liberation. Having combined the methods of the profound instructions of the paths of skilful means and liberation with study, contemplation, and meditation, he engaged in a strict, solitary retreat of three years, three months, and three days at the Barom Meditation Centre. After his retreat came to an end, he stayed at the meditation cave of Tseril [ 35 ] for several years and received empowerments of Cakrasaṃvara and Mahākāla from Sanggyé Drakpa. [ 36 ] He became a fully accomplished excellent scholar having relied upon various non-sectarian great beings and having integrated study, contemplation, and meditation. As the Refuge-lord Saljé Rinpoche often had many excellent and wondrous dreams and signs, he recognised the Fifth Tsoknyi Rinpoche and named him Karma Khyenrab Lodrö Chökyi Döndrup. [ 37 ] Later, Tsoknyi visited the sacred sites of India and Nepal. He has come back to his fatherland three times since 2001. Keeping the monastery and its people in mind and with a pure intention, he constructed a five-story temple at Kyodrak Monastery that is comparable in size to a seven-story building. It has a gilded roof complete with a gold ornament and victory banner and seventy-eight rooms to accommodate about five thousand monks. Moreover, he built a three-story meditation hall called Chabti Serpuk [ 38 ] with a gold ornament above its assembly hall. Along with this hall, he also built seventeen monk’s quarters called Yabeb Khang [ 39 ] and a monastic college containing an assembly hall and eighty monk’s quarters. He made donations towards the construction of Serphug Namtsang assembly hall, [ 40 ] which is the abode of the renunciate Tsültrim Tarchin. He donated 300,000 Yuan towards [recovery projects after] the Yushul earthquake. He gave donations to the Serta monks and nuns for their prayers. He also donated clothes to the region of Yushul and offered 500 Samten Bülchung [ 41 ] to the meditators. He sponsors the twenty-ninth pūjā every year and donates money to the monks. With Khen Jiga [ 42 ] he sponsors the food and other facilities for the monks at the monastic college. He also diligently accumulates funds for Barom’s Prayer Festival. Other than that, he donates thermoses and quality incense to the abbots, retreat masters, and great meditators and clothes to the needy. Each and every year he strives in gathering the accumulations. The religious centres he has built with great effort for the benefit of others are Taiwan Dharma Centre, Barom Tegsum Chökhor Ling, Macao Dharma Centre, Ngedön Tegchen Ling, and the England Dharma Centre, Künpan Jampa Ling. Furthermore, he is currently visiting many countries, including Singapore, Macao, Honkong, Guato, and Mauritius to give teachings, rescue animals, and advise people in need. May all be virtuous! COLOPHON None NOTES [1] karma pa 10 bdud 'dul rdo rje, BDRC P828 [2] chos rje gling pa, BDRC P671 [3] This is a scribble error as the dates between the First Tsoknyi and the Third Tsoknyi does not make this possible. [4] chos rgyal rdo rje, BDRC P1711 [5] lang gro dkon mchog 'byung gnas, [6] rat+na gling pa, BDRC P470 [7] 'jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas, BDRC P264 [8] 'ba' rom pa dar ma dbang phyug, BDRC P1856 [9] gman chos mi 'gyur rdo rje, BDRC P659 [10] karma chags med, BDRC P649 [11] tshogs gnyis 'od zer karma mkhyen rab blo gros chos kyi don 'grub [12] skyo brag [13] nang sog [14] 'bar ba' rdo rje [15] bkra nang bkra shis lung pa [16] se pad+ma; g.yes bza' dge g.yang [17] Cultural Revolution [18] pad sdong a lho snying rje [19] a snying bla ma; khong g.yer po [20] gas pa g.yang shar g.yas phyogs zhing skyong yab yum [21] dung sprul rin po che; kha tsha pra ba [22] ta' sit u 11 pad+ma dbang mchog rgyal po, 1886–1952, BDRC P925 [23] This is approval is from CCP after the cultural revolution. [24] 'khor ba dong sprug [25] This is when the lama cuts the first tip of the hair before the individual becomes ordained. [26] gar mdzad ri [27] 'jam dbyangs blo gros [28] dung sprul [29] gsang thig phur pa [30] byams pa yon tan / mdo sde rin po che [31] sangs rgyas bstan 'dzin [32] rab 'byor rin po che [33] dbon dge legs; rab 'phel [34] ye shes rab rgyas [35] tshe ril [36] sangs rgyas grag pa [37] karma mkhyen rab blo gros chos kyi don grub [38] chab bsti gser phug [39] ya 'bebs khang [40] gser pug rnam tshang 'du khang [41] bsam rten 'bul chung [42] mkhan 'jig dga' Published: November 2020 Edited: September 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Dbon dge legs. 2020. Grub pa'i sa mthor gshegs pa'i skyo brag tshogs gnyis 'od zer sku phreng rim byon gyi rnam thar mdor bsdus bzhugs so . London: Tib Shelf P005 Abstract These introductory biographies of the successive reincarnations of Tsoknyi Özer invite us to the land of liberation by establishing their enlightened lifestyles as examples. The text highlights the significance of devotion towards a spiritual master as, for example, the Third Tsokyni lighting his ring finger on fire, offering it as a lamp to fulfill his guru's aspirations. TIB SHELF P005 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Barom Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Chöje Lingpa Tsoknyi Özer HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century 19th Century 20th Century 21st Century TEACHERS The First Incarnation: The Thirteenth Karmapa Duddul Dorje Salje Chödrub The Second Incarnation: n/a The Third Incarnation: Ralo Tarlam Karma Döndam Jigdral Wangpo The Fifth Trulshik Mahāpaṇḍita, Gyurme Tsewang Trinle A De'u Rinpoche Yongzin Lama Tenwang Taglung Tenpe Nyima Rigdzin Chögyal Dorje Karma Tengye Chöpel The Seventh Chögön Chökyi Nyinche Trulshik Kyabne Trinle Gyatso Nagpo Togden Guru Punchö Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Taye Lama Salga Rinpoche Ten Nying Rinpoche Dungkar Rinpoche TRANSLATORS Tib Shelf Rachael Griffiths Michael Elison INSTITUTION Kyodrak Monastery STUDENTS TBC AUTHOR Önpo Gelek A Brief Biography: The Successive Incarnations of Tsoknyi Özer VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

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

Key sections of the Tibetan Charter detailing the exile government's organizational structure - translated for historical documentation of this significant constitutional document. The Charter of the Tibetans In Exile For over one thousand years the three regions of Tibet were ruled by forty-three successive Tibetan familial kings. Beginning with the first king Nyatri Tsenpo in the second century [BCE] and [finishing with] U Dum Tsenpo in the ninth century [CE]. [During this time], the kingdom of Tibet’s military power and rule became one of Central Asia's most powerful. For this reason, it is included within the three countries of comparable strength: China, Tibet, and Mongolia. Tibet developed its own independent language and grammar from that time and was considered the second Noble Country (India) in all respects to dharma, sciences, and social civilization. In the ninth century Tibet collapsed into a fragmented state and lost its capacity to remain united. It lacked a well-organized political administrative power, and there were only ruling regional chieftains. Drogon Chogyel Pakpa (1235–1280) established a priest-patron relationship with the Great Hor in the 1260s, once again reviving a political power that pervaded Tibet's three regions in their entirety. However, shortly after this period, not only were they unable to protect the borderlands, but Tibet’s reigning party frequently changed over the next three hundred and eighty years with Pakdru, Rinpung, and Tsangpa ruling respectively. For these reasons, [a set of] laws and administrative power could not reach all of Tibet. Due to numerous domestic dissensions, Tibet’s prevailing political power dramatically diminished. From the moment His Holiness, the Great Fifth [Dalai Lama] (1617–1682), founded the Gaden Podrang Government in 1642, the tradition [which acknowledges] the successive incarnations of the Powerful Victor, [the Dalai Lama], as the leaders of the spiritual and political affairs of Tibet was inaugurated. The Tibetan political administration was correspondingly stabilized, Buddhist teachings flourished in a non-sectarian manner, and Tibetan people happily enjoyed a life of freedom. The tradition in which the incarnations of the Powerful Victor, [the Dalai Lama], gradually acquired political-administrative activities upon reaching a suitable age was established. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, a general secular approach and international foreign relations had not adequately developed. Additionally, not long after the Great Thirteenth [Dalai Lama] had accepted his authority over the political administration, powerful adverse conditions forced him to flee to Mongolia, China, and India. In conjunction with resettling himself in the country [of Tibet], he re-enforced Tibet’s position of power and made a [significant] declaration. In harmony with the observations of the international environment during his recent [forced] journey, he brought about outstanding achievements by exerting himself to create ways that bring comfort to Tibetan people and approaches for firmly establishing a political administration, modern education, and other institutional reforms. The main point is that for nearly four hundred years, Tibet’s political administration, [the Gaden Podrang], has been able to stably govern. In 1949 the Chinese Red Army began their violent invasion of Tibet. In 1950 when the situation in Tibet became critical, His Holiness, the Great and Supreme Fourteenth [Dalai Lama] (1935–) had to [prematurely] accept the responsibilities of the political administration even though he was only sixteen years old. Under the force of the People’s Republic of China, in 1951, Tibet had to sign the so-called Seventeenth Point Agreement. While the government of Tibet tried to abide [by the settlement] for eight years, the Chinese governmental authorities disregarded the articles of the agreement and violently suppressed the Tibetan people. As such, His Holiness, the Great and Supreme Refuge-Protector [the Dalai Lama], and the Cabinet Ministers had to relocate the Tibetan Administration to the Yulgyel Lhuntse District. There they maintained their declaration that the [Chinese government] had pressured them to sign the Seventeen Point Agreement. Immediately upon arriving in exile on 18th April 1959 in the city of Tezpur, India, [His Holiness and the Cabinet Ministers] held a press conference during which they reasserted the declaration that repudiated the Seventeen Point Agreement. All Tibetans in Tibet and diaspora continue to believe and recognize that the legitimate Tibetan Administration is wherever His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great and Supreme Refuge-Proctor, and his Cabinet Ministers reside. Upon the formation of the Tibetan Administration in Exile in India, which was under the leadership of the His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great and Supreme Refuge-Protector granted a legitimate democratic system, which had been his long-held wish. Subsequently, the democratically elected body of the Tibetan Parliament was established in 1960. In 1961 they prepared the constitution's fundamental principles for the future Tibetan [nation] and announced the constitution in 1963. In 1991 His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great Refuge-Protector, converted the Tibetan Parliament into a proper legislative assembly. Accordingly, the eleventh Parliament established the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, which His Holiness the great [Dalai Lama] approved on 29th June 1991. This transformed the Tibetan Administration in Exile to accord with a modern democratic system possessing a written constitution. In 2001 following the wishes of His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great and Supreme Refuge-Protector, the people directly elected a Prime Minister. This was significant progress in the development of democracy. In the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile there are conditions which establish the successive incarnation of His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Refuge Protector, as the director of the government and the leader of the nation. However, His Holiness saw multiple long and short-term objections, necessities, and reasons for the Tibetan people not to rely on a sole person [as the head of the government]. To ultimately develop a democracy from that time onward, on 14th March 2011, His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great and Supreme Refuge-Protector, did not accept the responsibilities of the political and governing administrations. Furthermore, he irrevocably and firmly declared to the [parliamentary] assembly that the leader of the political and governing administrations should be a democratically elected representative. To accomplish this [goal], the framework of the Charter would need to be amended. An appeal was put forward for him to reconsider [his declaration], but he did not accede and returned the request. Moreover, based on the eleventh chapter of the currently existing Charter, His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great Refuge-Protector, gave his permission to amend the Charter and pass his responsibilities over secular affairs to the elected leaders. These leaders’ capacity to serve and be the representatives of all Tibetan people in Tibet and abroad was confirmed on 29th May 2011. Chapter 1 Fundamental Principles Article 1 - Refuge-Protector— The Symbol of Tibet and the Tibetan People The destined deity of Tibet is Avalokiteśvara who is His Holiness the Fourteenth [Dalai Lama], the Victor of the three realms and the Great and Supreme Refuge-Protector. He is the commander of the universe’s peace and the master of all the teachings of the victorious [buddhas] upon the Earth. He is the Refuge-Protector of all Tibetans, the unsurpassable leader, and a guide for moral behaviour. He is the identity of the Tibetan people, the symbol of their unity, and the sovereign spokesperson of all Tibetans. Those conditional factors have been established through the historical events over the centuries and by the culture and aspirations of sovereign Tibetans. Therefore, he intrinsically possesses the responsibilities and the authority enumerated below. 1. He shall give counsel, advice, and encouragement on any matters of the Tibetan people and the procedures of Central Tibetan Administration including the development of the Tibetan peoples’ welfare, thoughts and conduct, the preservation and promotion of Buddhism, culture, and sciences, and the methods that accomplish the main goal of Tibet. 2. Whenever His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great Refuge-Protector, sees the necessity, or upon the request from the leaders, he shall state his judgment concerning the prominent matters of the Tibetan people, society, Buddhism, and politics to the parliament and cabinet as grounds for investigation. 3. For the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan people, he shall meet and discuss with international leaders and various important people. His Holiness shall bestow the title of the representative of His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], the Great and Supreme Refuge-Protector, to the official representatives and specified representatives who have been appointed by the cabinet. (continued) Chapter 4 (continued) Article 28 - His Holiness and the Summoning of the Cabinet Meetings Withdrawn (Continued) Article 31 - Council of Regents Withdrawn Article 32 - Chairman of the Council of Regents Withdrawn Article 33 - Duties and Powers of the Council of Regents Withdrawn Article 34 - Dissolution of the Council of Regents and Removal of Regents Withdrawn Article 35 - Term of Office and Salary of the Council of Regents Withdrawn (continued) Chapter 5 (continued) Article 43 - His Holiness [the Dalai Lama]’s Annual Address and Communications to the Tibetan Parliamentary Assembly Withdrawn Article 44 - Rights of the President and the Admission of Cabinet Ministers in the Sessions of the Tibetan Assembly The President and Cabinet Ministers have the right to take part in the sessions of the parliamentary assembly and the sessions of the standing committees. They have the right to deliver speeches, engage in debate, and propose the agenda. However, they do not possess the right to vote [in the assembly]. (continued) Chapter 6 (continued) Article 68 - Obtaining the Judgement from the Supreme Justice Commission Withdrawn (continued) Article 70 - Office of the Judicial Administration Withdrawn Chapter 8 Electoral Procedures Article 96 - Tibetan Central Election Commission There shall be an independent Tibetan Central Election Commission for the discharge of duties pertaining to the election of the members of the Tibetan Assembly, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Assembly, and the Auditor General as well as any other election responsibilities regarding referendums on major issues involving the interest of Tibetan citizens. Article 97 - Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission, Their Responsibilities and Power 1.a. Whenever the Tibetan Central Election Commission requires a Chief Commissioner due to its vacancy, the Supreme Justice, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and the President are to set up a special committee comprised of three people specifically assigned to select candidates. The proposed candidates should be at least double [the vacancy] and voted upon in parliament. Whosesoever wins the majority shall be recognized as the selected Chief Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission. Otherwise from time-to-time, the cabinet can appoint the necessary members after consulting with the Chief Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission. 1.b. Whenever there is the need to appoint a Chief Commissioner for the Tibetan Central Election Commission when the parliament is not in session, with more than two-thirds majority, the standing parliament can appoint a Chief Commissioner from amongst the candidates proposed by the aforementioned selection committee. 2.a. Whenever there is the need for an election of the President and the Members of Parliament, two additional Election Commissioners are required in the Tibetan Central Election Commission beginning from the official announcement for commencing the election up until the time of declaring the final results. The Supreme Justice, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and the President are to set up a special committee comprised of three people specifically assigned to select candidates. The proposed candidates should be at least double [the vacancy] and voted upon in parliament. Whosesoever wins the majority shall be recognized as the selected additional Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission. Conversely, it is sufficient for the parliamentary assembly to decide [and appoint an additional Election Commissioner] with a majority [vote] as long as the committee mutually supports the chairman of the Public Service Commission and the Tibetan Audit Commission. 2.b. Whenever there is the need to appoint an additional Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission when the parliament is not in session, with more than two-thirds majority, the parliamentary standing committee can appoint an additional Election Commissioner from amongst the candidates proposed by the aforementioned selection committee. 2.c. Before entering into their responsibilities, the Chief Election Commissioner and the two additional Election Commissioners of the Tibetan Central Election Commission must take an oath before the Supreme Justice Commissioner per the main points settled in the law. 3. From the appointment of the additional Election Commissioners of the Tibetan Central Election Commission until the declaration of the final electoral results, all the electoral procedures shall be decided by the Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission and the two additional Electoral Commissioners either through a unanimous or majority decision. The Chief Electoral Commissioner shall be in charge of the committee of the electoral commission. 4. The duties and powers of the Election Commission and framework of their procedures and functions shall be implemented as determined by the parliamentary assembly. 5. Per articles of this charter, the Tibetan Central Election Commission shall formulate the regulations of the general election, which shall be implemented as determined by the parliamentary assembly. 6. The Tibetan Central Election Commission shall investigate and resolve all irregularities or discrepancies involving election procedure. If the decision made by the commission is disapproved, the matter may not be brought before any other Justice Commission except the Supreme Justice Commission. 7. Any irregularities or discrepancies involving election procedure in separate Tibetan settlements may be investigated and resolved by the Local Election Commission. If the decision made by the Local Election Commission is disapproved, the matter may be brought before the Tibetan Central Election Commission. If the matter remains unresolved, the matter may be referred to the Supreme Justice Commission. Article 98 - Salary of the Chief Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission (continued) 3. If only one person is acting as the Chief Election Commissioner and the additional Election Commissioner, then there is no need to determine a separate salary, allowances, pension, and other privileges. If another person is appointed in addition, the salary, allowances, and other privileges are comparable to the Chief Commissioner’s other than the pension. Article 99 - Term of the Chief Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission 1. The term of the Chief Commissioner shall be [set to] five years unless a resolution calling for the removal of the Chief Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission is approved by more than two-thirds majority of the parliamentary assembly, or the term of the Chief Commissioner shall be [annulled] upon reaching the age of sixty-five, whichever the case may be. (continued) Chapter 9 (continued) Article 101 - Composition of the Public Service Commission 1. The Public Service Commission must function with a Chairperson and two to four Committee Members. Whenever there is a vacancy, the Supreme Justice, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and the President set-up a special committee comprised of three people specifically assigned to select candidates. The proposed candidates should be at least double [the vacancy] and voted upon in parliament. Whosoever wins the majority shall be recognized as the selected Chairperson or a Committee Person of the Public Service Commission. 2. Whenever there is the need to appoint a Chairperson or Committee Member for the Public Service Commission when the parliament is not in session, with more than two-thirds majority, the standing parliament can appoint a new Chairperson or Committee Member from amongst the candidates proposed by the aforementioned selection committee. 3. Before entering into their responsibilities, the Chairperson or Committee Member of the Public Service Commission must take an oath before the Supreme Justice Commissioner per the main points settled in the law. (continued) Article 103 - Rules of the Procedures and Functions of the Public Service Commission The formulated framework of procedures of the Public Service Commission shall be implemented as determined by the parliamentary assembly. (continued) Chapter 10 (continued) Article 107 - Composition of the Tibetan Audit Commission 1.a. Whenever the Tibetan Audit Commission requires an Auditor General due to its vacancy, the Supreme Justice, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and the President are to set up a special committee comprised of three people specifically assigned to select candidates. The proposed candidates should be at least double [the vacancy] and voted upon in parliament. Whosoever wins the majority shall be recognized as selected Auditor General of the Tibetan Audit Commission. 1.b. Whenever there is the need to appoint an Auditor General of the Tibetan Audit Commission when the parliament is not in session, with more than two-thirds majority, the standing parliament can appoint an Auditor General from amongst the candidates proposed by the aforementioned selection committee. 2. Before entering into their responsibilities, the Auditor General of the Tibetan Audit Commission must take an oath before the Supreme Justice Commissioner per the main points settled in the law. (continued) Chapter 11 (continued) Article 112 - Referendum Withdrawn Article 113 - Transitional Provisions Withdrawn Article 114 - Infrastructural Reorganisation Withdrawn (continued) Appendix No 1. A - Oaths for the Duties of the President and the Cabinet Ministers President: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as the President of the Tibetan Administration, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of the President in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. Cabinet Minister: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as a Cabinet Ministers of the Tibetan Administration, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of a Cabinet Ministers in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. Appendix No 1. B - Oaths of Confidentiality President: I, ( name ), will never directly or indirectly disclose to anyone the confidential matters related to the duties of the President unless the government has decided to make an announcement for the interest of Tibet and the Tibetan people. Cabinet Minister: I, ( name ), will never directly or indirectly disclose to anyone the confidential matters related to the duties of the Cabinet Ministers unless the government has decided to announce them for the interest of Tibet and the Tibetan people. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. Appendix No 2 - Oaths for the Duties of the Members of Parliament Since I, ( name ), have been elected as a member of the (XX) Tibetan Parliament, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of the members of the parliament in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. Appendix No 3 - Oaths for the Duties of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker Speaker: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of the Speaker in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. Deputy Speaker: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of the Deputy Speaker in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. Appendix No 4 - Oaths for the Duties of the Supreme Justice Commissioner and the Members of the Justice Commission Supreme Justice Commissioner: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as the Supreme Justice Commissioner of the Central Tibetan Administration, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of Supreme Justice Commissioner in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability and wise discernment with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. Members of the Justice Commission: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as a member of the Justice Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of a member of the Justice Commission in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability and wise discernment with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. Appendix No 5 - Oaths for the Duties of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Additional Commissioners Chief Election Commissioner: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as the Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. Additional Election Commissioner: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as an additional Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of an additional Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Central Election Commission in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. Appendix No 6 - Oaths for the Duties of the Chairperson and Committee Members of the Public Service Commission Chairperson: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. Committee Member: Since I, ( name ), have been elected as a Committee Member of the Public Service Commission, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of a committee member of the Public Service Commission in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, and favouritism. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. Appendix No 7 - Oaths for the Duties of the Auditor General of the Tibetan Audit Commission Since I, ( name ), have been elected as the Auditor General of the Tibetan Administration, with faith and trust in the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, I will fulfil all duties and obligations of the Auditor General in accordance with the fundamental principles of the charter. I will serve to the best of my ability and wise discernment with sincerity and pure intentions devoid of self-centred partiality, apprehension, favouritism. I make this firm oath with the Three Jewels as my witness. Or I solemnly swear. The above charter contains all the amendments made up until 6th February 2020. COLOPHON None NOTES None BIBLIOGRAPHY See link above Abstract A translation of pertinent and interesting sections of the Tibetan Charter, a document setting out the organisation structure of its government. This translation is purely for a historical presentation. LINK DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION N/A INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 20th Century 21st Century TEACHERS N/A TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Government STUDENTS N/A AUTHORS Tibetan Government in Exile The Charter of the Tibetans In Exile VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Tsongkhapa's celebrated ode to Sarasvatī resonates beyond monastery walls into Tibet's artistic and literary spheres, becoming a cultural touchstone of devotional poetry. In Praise of the Goddess Sarasvatī ཨོཾ་བདེ་ལེགས་སུ་གྱུར་ཅིག ། om delek su gyur chik OM: may there be goodness! ཆུ་འཛིན་དཀར་པོ་གློག་ཕྲེང་དྲ་བ་ཅན། ། chudzin karpo lok treng drawachen Like a white cloud decoratively latticed with lightning མཁའ་ཡི་མཛེས་བྱེད་འདྲ་བའི་ཡིད་འཕྲོག་མ། ། kha yi dzejé drawé yitrok ma Adorning the sky, you are the utterly captivating goddess. དྲི་ཟའི་ན་ཆུང་དབུས་ན་འཇོ་སྒེག་མཁན། ། drizé na chung ü na jogek khen Balanced in the center of youthful gandharvas, [ 1 ] your charm is enchanting. རིང་ནས་བརྩེ་བའི་ལྷ་མོ་ད་ཚུར་བྱོན། ། ring né tsewé lhamo datsur jön Come here now, ever-kind and loving goddess. པདྨའི་བཞིན་ལ་གཡོ་ལྡན་བུང་བའི་མིག ། pemé shin la yoden bungwé mik On your lotus face, the honey bees of your eyes dance about. མཐོན་མཐིང་རལ་པའི་རྩེ་ན་འོད་དཀར་ཅན། ། tönting ralpé tsé na ökar chen The tips of your deep black locks glisten with a brilliant luster. རོལ་སྒེག་གར་གྱིས་འགྱིང་བའི་དབྱངས་ཅན་མ། ། rol gek gar gyi gyingwé yangchenma O Sarasvatī, gracefully poised in a mesmerizing dance, ད་དུང་བདག་ལ་ངག་གི་དབང་ཕྱུག་སྩོལ། ། dadung dak la ngak gi wangchuk tsol Continue to grant me mastery over the power of speech. རོལ་རྩེད་གར་གྱི་ཉམས་ལྡན་རི་དྭགས་མིག ། roltsé gar gyi nyamden ridak mik Playfully frolicking about with beautiful, deer-like eyes. མིག་གིས་ལྟ་བས་མི་ངོམས་ཡིད་འཕྲོག་མ། ། mik gi tawé mi ngom yitrok ma Eyes never tire of gazing upon you, enthralling goddess. མ་ལྟར་བརྩེ་བ་ཁྱོད་ཀྱིས་བདག་གི་ངག ། ma tar tsewa khyö kyi dak gi ngak Goddess as loving as a mother, grant me the blessings of speech, ངག་དབང་ལྷ་མོ་ཉིད་དང་མཚུངས་པར་མཛོད། ། ngawang lhamo nyi dang tsungpar dzö Speech the very likes of yours, O goddess of voice and words. སྟོན་ཟླ་རྒྱས་པའི་དཔལ་ལས་ལྷག་པར་མཛེས། ། tön da gyepé pal lé lhakpar dzé More beautiful than the glory of the full autumn moon, ཚངས་དབྱངས་སྙན་པའི་གདངས་ཀྱང་ཟིལ་གྱིས་གནོན། ། tsang yang nyenpé dang kyang zil gyi nön Outshining even the likes of the melodies of Brahmā, ཟབ་ཡངས་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་འཇིང་ལྟར་དཔག་དཀའ་བ། ། zab yang gyatsö jing tar pak kawa More difficult to fathom than the depths of the vast oceans— དབྱངས་ཅན་ལྷ་མོའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ལ་འདུད། ། yangchen lhamö ku sung tuk la dü To your body, speech, and mind, Sarasvatī, I bow down! COLOPHON ཅེས་སྒྲ་དབྱངས་ལྷ་མོ་སྤྱན་དྲངས་ནས་བསྟོད་ཅིང་གསོལ་བ་གདབ་པ་ཡུལ་བྱང་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་སྙན་དངགས་མཁན་བློ་བཟང་གྲགས་པའི་དཔལ་གྱིས་སྦྱར་བའོ།། Having invited the goddess Sarasvatī in such a way, praise and supplicate her! This was composed by the poet of the northern lands, the glorious Lobsang Drakpa. NOTES [1] Gandharvas are known as celestial musicians. Photo credit: Himalayan Art Resources BIBLIOGRAPHY Blo bzang grags pa'i dpal. 1997. Sgra dbyangs lha mo dbyangs can ma la bstod pa'i tshigs su bcad pa . In Gsung 'bum/_tsong kha pa/?bkras lhun par rnying / d+ha sar bskyar par brgyab pa/?, vol 2, p. 326. Dharamsala: Sherig Parkhang. BDRC W29193 Abstract One of the most famous poems in Tibetan history in which Tsongkhapa calls out and praises the goddess Sarasvatī. This poem is not only chanted in monastic halls but also sung by performing artists and taught in literature classes. BDRC LINK W29193 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:31 TRADITION Geluk INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 14th Century 15th Century TEACHERS Lama Dampa Sönam Gyaltsen Khenchen Kunga Gyaltsen The First Lelung Jedrung, Drubchen Namkha Gyaltsen The Fourth Karmapa, Rölpe Dorje Chökyi Gyalpo Jonang Khenchen Chogle Namgyal Rinchen Namgyal Zhönu Changchub Özer Döndrub Rinchen Dragkar Khenchen Chökyab Zangpo Nya Ön Kunga Pal Kyungpo Lepa Zhönu Sönam Jamyang Chökyi Palwa Chöpal Zangpo Döndrub Zangpo Umapa Tsöndru Senge Rendawa Zhönu Lodrö Khenchen Chökyab Palzangpo Khenchen Tsultrim Rinchen Changchub Tsemo TRANSLATOR Lowell Cook INSTITUTIONS Ganden Sera Monastery Drepung Monastery Kumbum Jampa Ling Sangpu Neutok Rakadrak Hermitage Reting Monastery Pabongkha Hermitage Sera Chöding Gadong Ölga Chölung Lhasa Tsuglakhang Ölga Samling Monastery STUDENTS Khenchen Tashi Senge The First Kirti, Gendun Gyaltsen Śākya Palzang Samlo Sangye Tashi Samten Lodrö The First Lelung Jedrung, Drubchen Namkha Gyaltsen Rinchen Samdrub Dulzin Dragpa Gyaltsen Jampal Gyatso Sherab Senge Dzepa Palden Zangpo Dönyö Gyaltsen The Fourth Ganden Tripa, Legpa Gyaltsen Norzang Rinchen Palzang Rinchen Gyaltsen Gö Lotsāwa Zhönu Pal Śākya Yeshe Tsakho Nagwang Dragpa Jampal Chözang Zang Kyongwa Changchub Senge Sherab Drak Jampal Tashi Pal Kyong Hortön Namkha Palwa Jamyang Chöje Tashi Palden The First Tagpu Tulku, Palden Döndrub Sangye Rinchen Gyaltsen The First Tatsak, Baso Chökyi Gyaltsen Gungru Gyaltsen Zangpo The Seventh Ganden Tripa, Lodrö Tenpa Gyalwa Kachupa Sönam Lhundrub The First Paṇchen Lama, Khedrubje Gelek Palzang Gyaltsab Darma Rinchen Changsem Chöpak Chöpak Gyaltsen The First Lab Kyabgön, Yönten Pal Lodrö Gyaltsen Zhang Zhung Chöwang Dragpa Sönam Zangpo Sangye Yeshe Sönam Namgyal Sherab Zangpo AUTHOR Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa In Praise of the Goddess Sarasvatī VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

A prayer aspiring to rebirth in Pemakö, a sacred hidden land where dharmic conditions flourish and worldly obstacles dissolve - composed by Lelung Shepé Dorje. An Aspiration to Travel to the Hidden Land of Pemokö རྩ་གསུམ་ཀུན་འདུས་པདྨ་ཐོད་འཕྲེང་རྩལ། tsa sum kündü pema tö treng tsal Embodiment of the Three Roots, Pema Tötrengtsal, དཔའ་བོ་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་ཚོགས་དང་བཅས་པ་རྣམས། pawo khandrö tsok dang chepa nam Together with the gatherings of heroes and ḍākinīs , བདག་གི་སྨོན་པ་འགྲུབ་པའི་དཔང་པོ་རུ། dak gi mönpa drubpé pangpo ru Come here unimpededly and remain ཐོགས་མེད་གཤེགས་ལ་འདིར་བཞུགས་དགོངས་སུ་གསོལ། tokmé shek la dir shuk gong su sol Witnessing me as I make this aspiration, I pray. བདག་གཞན་སྐྱེ་འཕགས་ཀུན་ཀྱི་དུས་གསུམ་དུ། dakshen kyé pak kün kyi dü sum du Through whatever collections of virtue that accumulated throughout the three times by myself བསགས་པའི་དགེ་ཚོགས་ཇི་སྙེད་བགྱིས་པ་དང་། sakpé gé tsok jinyé gyipa dang And others, all ordinary beings and noble ones, རིག་འཛིན་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་ཐུགས་བསྐྱེད་བདེན་སྟོབས་ཀྱིས། rigdzin khandrö tukkyé den tob kyi And the power of the truth of the bodhicitta resolve of the vidyādharas and ḍākinīs , སྨོན་པའི་དོན་འདི་ཐོགས་མེད་མྱུར་འགྲུབ་ཤོག mönpé dön di tokmé nyur drub shok May the aim of this aspiration be quickly accomplished without impediment! གངས་ཅན་སྐྱེ་དགུའི་བསོད་ནམས་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ། gangchen kyegü sönam shing chok tu In this supreme meritorious realm of the people of the snow mountains, པདྨས་བྱིན་བརླབ་སྦས་གནས་ཀུན་ཀྱི་མཆོག pemé jin lab bé né kün kyi chok Supreme among all the hidden lands blessed by Padmasambhava is མཁའ་སྤྱོད་གཉིས་པ་པདྨོ་བཀོད་འདི་ཡི། khachö nyipa pemo kö di yi This second Khecara, Pemokö— ངོ་མཚར་སྣང་བ་གཏན་ལ་ཕེབས་པར་ཤོག ngotsar nangwa ten la pebpar shok May we see its wondrous marvel in actuality! འབྱུང་བཞིའི་གཡང་བཅུད་སྣོད་ཀྱི་དགེ་བཅུ་རྒྱས། jung shi yang chü nö kyi gé chu gyé In the environment of the essential wealth of the four elements, the ten virtues increase, and ལོ་ལེགས་སྐྱ་རྒྱལ་འདོད་དགུ་ངང་གིས་འདུ། lo lek kya gyal dögu ngang gi du The grain of a good harvest and everything one could desire naturally come together ནད་ཡམས་འཁྲུགས་རྩོད་དུས་ཀྱི་ཆད་པ་ཀུན། né yam truktsö dü kyi chepa kün Even the names of the calamities of contagious disease, strife, and war are not heard— མིང་ཡང་མི་གྲགས་རྟག་ཏུ་ཤིས་པར་ཤོག ming yang mi drak taktu shipar shok May there be this constant auspiciousness! ཀླ་ཀློ་མི་རྒོད་གཅན་གཟན་འབུ་སྦྲང་སོགས། lalo migö chenzen bu drang sok Barbarians, savages, carnivorous wild beasts and insects and the like, མཆུ་སྡེར་མཆེ་བ་ཅན་ཀྱི་གདུག་རྩུབ་དང་། chu der chewachen kyi duktsub dang With their menacing claws, fangs, and beaks, as well as གནས་སྲུང་སྡེ་བརྒྱད་མཁའ་འགྲོའི་ཆོ་འཕྲུལ་སོགས། né sung dé gyé khandrö chotrul sok The sorcerous tricks of the local guardians, the eight classes of spirits, and the ḍākinīs — གཟུགས་མེད་འཚུབ་མའི་བར་ཆད་ཞི་བར་ཤོག zukmé tsub mé barché shiwar shok May all unseen disruptive obstacles be pacified! སྐྲངས་འབུར་ཤུ་ཐོར་ཚད་ནད་རྐང་འབམ་དང་། trang bur shu tor tsé né kang bam dang May swollen protrusions, abscesses, inflammatory diseases, elephantiasis, དམུ་ཆུ་གྲང་བ་ཆུ་སེར་ལ་སོགས་པའི། mu chu drangwa chuser lasokpé Edema, cold natured illnesses, lymphatic disorders, and all such illnesses འབྱུང་བཞིའི་ནད་དང་དུག་རླངས་རྒྱུན་ཆད་ཅིང་། jung shi né dang duk lang gyünché ching Of the four elements and infectious vapours, དོན་གཉེར་ཅན་ཀུན་བགེགས་མེད་བགྲོད་པར་ཤོག dönnyer chen kün gekmé dröpar shok Be eliminated and all who possess ardour travel without obstruction! གངས་ཅན་བོད་ཀྱི་སྐལ་ལྡན་ཀུན་འདུ་ཞིང་། gangchen bö kyi kalden kün du shing May the fortunate ones of snowy Tibet come together བཤད་སྒྲུབ་ཐུབ་བསྟན་སྙིང་པོ་དར་བ་དང་། shedrub tubten nyingpo darwa dang And spread the essential teachings of theory and practice, ཁྱད་པར་རྡོ་རྗེའི་ཐེག་པའི་མྱུར་ལམ་ལས། khyepar dorjé tekpé nyurlam lé Particularly, by the swift path of the Vajrayāna , སྦས་གནས་གྲུབ་ཐོབ་ཕོ་མོས་གང་བར་ཤོག bé né drubtob po mö gangwar shok May the hidden land be filled with male and female accomplished ones. གང་ཞིག་གནས་འདིར་བགྲོད་པ་ཙམ་བགྱིས་མོས། gangshik né dir dröpa tsam gyi mö Whoever merely aspires to reach this place— སྡིག་སྒྲིབ་ཉེས་ལྟུང་དྲི་མའི་ཚོགས་དག་ནས། dikdrib nyetung drimé tsok dak né Their accumulated stains of misdeeds, obscurations, faults, and downfalls will be purified, ཉམས་དང་རྟོགས་པ་ངང་གྱིས་འབར་བ་དང་། nyam dang tokpa ngang gyi barwa dang And by the natural blazing of experience and realisation, རྩ་རླུང་ཐིག་ལེ་སྨིན་ཅིང་གྲོལ་བར་ཤོག tsa lung tiklé min ching drolwar shok May the channels, winds, and essences ripen and be liberated! གནས་འདིའི་སྒོ་འབྱེད་བཞད་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེ་དང་། né di gojé shepé dorjé dang May the intentions of the ones who opened this hidden land, Zhepe Dorje and རྒྱལ་ཡུམ་ལྷ་གཅིག་རྡོ་རྗེ་སྐྱབས་བྱེད་ཀྱི། gyalyum lha chik dorjé kyab jé kyi The mother of the victorious ones Lhachik Dorje Kyabje, [ 1 ] ཐུགས་ཀྱི་བཞེད་པ་ཇི་བཞིན་འགྲུབ་པ་དང་། tuk kyi shepa jishin drubpa dang Be accomplished just as they were made. བསྐལ་པ་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་བར་དུ་ཞབས་བརྟན་ཤོག kalpa gyatsö bardu shabten shok May they both live for an ocean of eons! གསང་མཆོག་མཁའ་འགྲོ་རྒྱ་མཚོས་ལུང་བསྟན་པའི། sang chok khandro gyatsö lungtenpé Those prophesied by the vast multitudes of supremely secret ḍākinīs , སྣ་འདྲེན་དཔའ་བོ་དཔལ་རྒྱལ་རྗེ་འབངས་ཀུན། na dren pawo pal gyal jebang kün The guide, the heroes, the glorious king, the lord and his subjects, གནས་སྐབས་མངོན་མཐོའི་ལེགས་ཚོགས་ཀུན་རྒྱས་ཤིང་། nekab ngön tö lektsok kün gyé shing For the time being, may all excellent things of the higher realms increase for them, and མཐར་ཐུག་པདྨ་འོད་དུ་གྲོལ་བར་ཤོག tartuk pema ö du drolwar shok May they ultimately be liberated in the [Palace of] Lotus Light! མཁའ་འགྲོ་རྒྱ་མཚོས་རྟག་ཏུ་གྲོགས་མཛད་ཅིང་། khandro gyatsö taktu drok dzé ching May the hosts of ḍākinīs always offer companionship, དམ་ཅན་སྲུང་མས་འཕྲིན་ལས་སྒྲུབ་པ་དང་། damchen sungmé trinlé drubpa dang The oath-bound protectors accomplish their enlightened activities, and ཇི་ལྟར་བརྩིས་པའི་ལས་ཀྱི་བྱ་བ་ཀུན། jitar tsipé lé kyi jawa kün Every deed and action, just as they have been divined, བསྟན་འགྲོའི་དོན་ཆེན་ཁོ་ནར་འགྱུར་བར་ཤོག ten drö dön chen khonar gyurwar shok Result only in great benefit for the teachings and beings! གནས་འདིའི་ཕྱོགས་སུ་ངལ་བ་བརྟེན་པ་ཀུན། né di chok su ngalwa tenpa kün May all the weary ones who strive to reach this place རྟག་ཏུ་བླ་མ་མཁའ་འགྲོས་རྗེས་བཟུང་སྟེ། taktu lama khandrö jezung té Always be watched over and accepted by the guru and ḍākinīs , and ཐུགས་རྗེའི་བྱིན་རླབས་སྙིང་ལ་འཇུག་པ་དང་། tukjé jinlab nying la jukpa dang The blessing of compassion enter into their hearts, འདི་ཕྱིའི་དོན་རྣམས་ངང་གིས་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤོག di chi dön nam ngang gi drubpar shok So they naturally accomplish the benefit of this life and the next! སྤྲུལ་པའི་གནས་འདིའི་རྟེན་འབྲེལ་འགྲིག་པའི་མཐུས། trulpé né di tendrel drikpé tü May all the invading enemies of snowy Tibet be averted གངས་ཅན་བོད་ཀྱི་མཐའ་དམག་ཀུན་བཟློག་ཅིང་། gangchen bö kyi tamak kün dok ching By the power of the auspicious interdependence of this emanating place, and སྐྱེ་དགུ་ཐམས་ཅད་བོད་ཞིང་སྐྱིད་པ་དང་། kyegu tamché bö shing kyipa dang May all the beings of the land of Tibet be happy, and ཐུབ་པའི་བསྟན་པ་དར་ཞིང་རྒྱས་པར་ཤོག tubpé tenpa dar shing gyepar shok The doctrine of the Buddha flourish and spread! ངན་སོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ཀུན་ཆད་ཅིང་། ngensong sum gyi dukngal kün ché ching May all the suffering of the three lower realms cease, and ཁམས་གསུམ་འོག་མིན་ཞིང་དུ་འབྱོངས་པ་དང་། kham sum womin shing du jongpa dang The three realms attain the perfection of Akaniṣṭha ! ཇི་སྲིད་ནམ་མཁའ་ཟད་པར་མ་གྱུར་བར། jisi namkha zepar magyurwar May the ornamented wheels of the three secrets blaze གསང་གསུམ་རྒྱན་གྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་འབར་བར་ཤོག sang sum gyen gyi khorlo barwar shok For as long as space remains! COLOPHON ཅེས་ལའང་དཔའ་བོའི་ཁྱུ་མཆོག་འོར་ཤོད་ཨོ་རང་གི་ཁྱིམ་བདག་ཆེན་པོ་དཔལ་རྒྱལ་གྱིས་སྦས་ཡུལ་ཆེན་པོ་པདྨ་བཀོད་མགྲིན་པ་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོའི་ཆ་ལས་གནས་ནང་སྡིངས་ཀྱི་སྒྲུབ་སྡེ་པདྨ་འོད་གླིང་གི་འདུས་པ་རྣམས་ལ་རྒྱུན་དུ་བཙུགས་ཆོག་པ་དགོས་ཚུལ་གྱིས་བསྐུལ་མ་མཛད་པ་བཞིན་རིག་པ་འཛིན་པ་བཞད་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེས་བག་ཡོད་ཅེས་པ་ཆུ་མོ་གླང་གི་ལོ་སྤྲེའུ་ཟླ་བའི་དཀར་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་གྲལ་ཚེས་དགེ་བར་པདྨ་ཡང་སྡོང་གི་ཁང་བུར་ཤར་མར་སྤེལ་བའི་ཡི་གེ་པ་ནི་རྡོ་རྗེ་གསང་བདག་གོ། Thus, the great householder Palgyal[ 2 ] of the supremely heroic Orshö Orang family requested Zhepe Dorje on behalf of the monks of the Pema Ö Ling retreat center in the sacred place of Nang Ding, which is the aspect of the throat cakra of enjoyment in the great hidden land of Pemakö , for an essential [prayer] that would be suitable for regular use. Accordingly, in the quaint residence of Pema Yangdong Dorje on the virtuous day of the first half of the Monkey month in the Female Water Ox year (1733) called Incautious[ 3 ], the vidyādhara Zhepe Dorje clearly dictated [this prayer] to the scribe Dorje Sangdak. NOTES [1] Lha gcig rdo rje skyabs byed, BDRC P2CN4771 [2] Personal Communication – Franz-Karl Ehrhard (2018). Orshö Orang were landed nobility in eastern Kongpo and important benefactors (sbyin bdag) specifically to Chöje Lingpa (1682–1720). The transliteration for this textual line is: dpa' bo'i khyu mchog 'or shod o rang gi khyim bdag chen po dpal rgyal gyis. [3] The term for the female Water Ox is bag med (pramādin). Although it is a rendering of a negative verb of existence—med pa, it is commonly written with a positive verb of existence—yod pa, lending to a rendering of bag yod. [4] For more information about the life of Lelung Zhepai Dorje see Tom Greensmith” The Fifth Lelung Jedrung, Treasury of Lives . Photo credit: Lelung Dharma Centre Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: December 2020 BIBLIOGRAPHY Lelung Jedrung Zhepe Dorje (sle lung rje drung bzhad pa’i rdo rje). 1982. sbas yul pad+mo bkod du bgrod pa’i smon lam . In gsung ’bum/bzhad pa’i rdo rje , vol.7, 515–520. 大谷大学图书馆. 京都市. BDRC W1CZ2744 . Abstract A prayer to take rebirth in the hidden sanctuary of Pemakö, where obstacles such as sickness and conflict are scarce or nonexistent and favourable conditions may aid progress on the Dharma path. BDRC LINK W1CZ2744 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Geluk | Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Lelung Jedrung HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century TEACHERS The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso The Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Yeshé Damchö Sangpo Mingyur Paldrön Chöje Lingpa Dönyö Khedrup The First Purchok, Ngawang Jampa Ngawang Chödrak Yeshé Gyatso Damchö Gyatso Losal Gyatso Lhündrup Gyatso Dungkar Tsangyang Drukdrak TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Lelung Monastery Mindroling Ngari Dratsang Chokhor Gyal Trandruk Potala Tsari STUDENTS Kunga Mingyur Dorj e Dorje Yom e Kunga Paldzom Lobsang Lhachok Dönyö Khedrub Polhané Sönam Tobgyé Ngawang Jampa Mingyur Paldrön The Fifth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Kalzang Pema Wangchuk Lhasang Khan AUTHOR Lelung Zhepe Dorje An Aspiration to Travel to the Hidden Land of Pemokö VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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The First Drugpa Zhabdrung's victory declaration of 1619, composed after defeating Tsang's ruler through ritual sorcery, helped establish Bhutan's identity while asserting his talismanic power. Sixteen Self-Assertions གོང་མས་ལུང་བསྟན་སྤྲུལ་པ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ཀུན་གྱི་སྐྱབས་སུ་བཟང་། ། འཆད་པའི་ངག་གི་དབང་ཕྱུག་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ལེགས་བཤད་འབྱུང་ཁུངས་བཙུན། ། Forefathers’ foretold emanation is I— I am the magnificent refuge of all beings. The sovereign speech of exposition is I— I am the respected source of eloquent discourse. བདུད་དཔུང་འཇོམས་པའི་དཔའ་བོ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་འབྲུག་པར་བརྫུས་རྣམས་བཅོམ། ། རྩོད་པའི་མཐུ་སྟོབས་བདག་པོ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་ལྟ་ལོག་མཁན་སུན་འབྱིན། ། The hero who conquers demon hordes is I— I am the destroyer of the Drukpa’s imposters. The powerful master of debate is I— I am the repudiator of those with wrong views. མཐའ་བྲལ་ལྟ་བའི་བདག་པོ་ང་། ། ང་མདུན་མི་འདར་རྒོལ་བ་སུ། ། རྩོམ་པའི་དབྱངས་ཅན་གྲུབ་པ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་རིག་གནས་ཀུན་ལ་མཁས། ། The lord of the unlimited view is I— I am the one before whom all challengers tremble. Sarasvatī’s accomplished wordsmith is I— I am the learned scholar in all fields of knowledge. དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་པའི་བསྟན་འཛིན་ང་། ། ང་ནུས་བཟློག་པའི་མཐུ་ཆེན་སུ། ། ལུགས་གཉིས་འཁོར་ལོས་བསྒྱུར་བ་ང་། ། ང་ནི་འདྲ་མིན་སྤྲུལ་བའི་གཤེད། ། The Glorious Druk’s doctrine holder is I— I am almighty, no sorcerer can defeat me. The dual system’s [ 1 ] Wheel-wielding Monarch [ 2 ] is I— I am the enemy of diverse apparitions. ཕྱག་དམ་འདི་གཞུང་གི་བཀའ་རྒྱ་གལ་ཆེན་རིགས་དང་། གཞུང་གི་ཁྲ་དེབ་ཁག་ལ་ངེས་པར་དུ་ཕྱག་དམ་འདི་ཐེབས་ཡོད་ན་ཀུན་གྱིས་བརྩི་མཐོང་ཆེན་པོ་བྱ་དགོས་པ་སྔར་སྲོལ་གལ་གནད་ཅན་ཞིག་ཡིན། ཞབས་དྲུང་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རང་གིས་ཕྱོགས་ལས་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་རྟགས་མཚན་དུ་ཕྱག་དམ་ང་བཅུ་དྲུག་མ་འདི་མཛད་པ་ནས་བཟུང་སྟེ་འབྲུག་གཞུང་གི་མངའ་འབངས་ཆབ་སྲིད་ཡོངས་རྫོགས་ལ་ཕྱག་དམ་དེས་དབང་བསྒྱུར་ཆོག་པ་ཡིན། དེ་བཞིན་ད་ལྟ་ཡང་འབྲུག་གཞུང་གི་ (དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་པ་ཕྱོགས་ལས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ) གཞུང་རྟགས་སུ་བཀོད་པ་འདི་ཡང་། ཞབས་དྲུང་རིན་པོ་ཆེས་ང་བཅུ་དྲུག་མའི་དོན་བསྡུས་ཏེ་གཞུང་རྟགས་སུ་བཀོད་པ་ཡིན། དཔེར་ན། རྒྱ་གར་གཞུང་རྟགས་སེངྒེ་མགོ་ལྔ་པ་ཅན་ལ་རྩིས་མཐོང་བྱ་དགོས་པ་ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ཨ་ཤོ་ཀའི་མཛད་རྗེས་མཚོན་པ་དང་འདྲ་བ་ཡིན། If this seal is visibly stamped onto the official documents of the government and important government orders, everyone will hold them in high regard because this tradition is of essential importance. Shabdrung Rinpoche (1594–1651) [ 3 ] composed this seal, "Sixteen Self-Assertions," as a symbol of the Complete Victor in all Regards. [ 4 ] Since then, this seal was permitted to exercise power over all citizens and political territory of the Bhutanese government. Accordingly, even today, the name of the Bhutanese government, “The Glorious Drukpa: The Victor in All Regards,” [ 5 ] is also established as an administrative symbol since it is the condensed meaning of Shabdrung Rinpoche’s "Sixteen Self-Assertions." Take, for example, the governmental symbol of India, the five-headed lion. The reason it is held in high regard is that it is the representation of the achievements of the Dharma King, Ashoka. This seal is comparable to that symbol. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] This is referring to the dual system of politics and religion. [2] A Wheel-wielding Monarch (cakravartin) is the de facto ruler of the entire universe, bring all under their control single-handedly. They tend to govern the world system in accordance with the spiritual and or universal law, the dharma. For more information, please refer to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. [3] zhabs drung 01 ngag dbang rnam rgyal, BDRC P509 [4] phyogs las rnam par rgyal ba [5] dpal ldan 'brug pa phyogs las rnam rgyal Photo Credit: Kidekhar College of Buddhist Higher Learning Published: May 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Slob dpon gnag mdog. 1986. Nga bcu drug ma. In 'Brug dkar-po : 'brug rgyal-khab kyi chos-srid gnas-stangs, pp 94–95. Thurpaling Monastery Bumthang: Lopon Nado. Abstract The first rendition of the seal was written in 1619 by the First Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal, after seizing military victory over Puntsok Namgyal, the ruler of Tsang in Tibet. It is purported that Zhabdrung accomplished this triumph through his tantric powers of ritual sorcery. The lines translated here are in a different order in comparison to other editions. Nevertheless, this epic declaration not only helps to establish the emerging country of Bhutan but centralizes Zhabdrung's power in a talismanic nature. SOURCE DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 01:07 TRADITION Drugpa Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Zhabdrung Sungtrul HISTORICAL PERIOD 16th Century 17th Century TEACHERS Tenpe Nyima Lhawang Lodrö TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Ralung Monastery STUDENTS The First Drugje Khenpo Pekar Jungn e The Second Drugje Khenpo, Sönam Özer The Third Drugje Khenpo, Pekar Lhundrub The Fourth Drugje Khenpo, Damchö Pekar The Fifth Drugje Khenpo, Söpa Trinl e Ngawang Samten Söpa Pekar AUTHORS Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal & Lopön Nadok Sixteen Self-Assertions VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Döndrup Gyal's free-verse poem, written as Rangdröl, visually cascades down the page like a waterfall, its rhythm and form mirroring the flowing dynamics of youth. Waterfall of Youth The sky, blue and clear Sunlight, warm and gentle Earth, vast and wide Flowers, beautiful and charming Mountains, high and mighty… … Ema — Yet what’s even more wonderful still is this waterfall, cascading off the steep cliff face, right in front of us Look! Its bubbly waves, pure and pristine With spheres of light, the eyes of a peacock feather the tuft of a parrot patterns of silk brocade the rainbow-like bow of Indra [ 1 ] Listen! The sound of its current, clear and euphonic the melody of youth, the songs of the gandharvas [ 2 ] the voice of Brahma the voice of Sarasvati the tune of the cuckoo Kye—this is not an ordinary, natural waterfall, no a mighty and majestic expression a fearless heart undaunted courage flourishing and thriving body elegant and lavish adornments pleasant and beautiful songs This is— the waterfall of youth, the youth of snowy Tibet This is— the courage to be creative the expressions of struggle the music of youth within the Tibetan youth of the nineteen-eighties Kye! Kye! Ah, youthful waterfall waterfall of youth How did such fearless courage —undaunted self-confidence —unimpaired splendor —and inexhaustible strength blossom within you? Indeed, the rains falling from the heavens during the three months of spring the springs gushing forth from the earth during the three months of summer the essence of frost and hail during the three months of autumn the quintessence of the ice and snow during the three months of winters and yet still glacial water—mineral water—slate water—water from forests marshes—mountains—valleys—ravines—and gullies In brief, —water of auspiciousness —water of goodness —water of wishes fulfilled —water with the eight qualities [ 3 ] —water of abundance One hundred and eight different rivulets Hundreds of thousands of different types of water As you are the one river of their unity You dare to cascade off craggy precipices As you are the one river that gathers them all You are brave enough to jump off cliffs into gorges With your courage to collect the different waters of innovation Your intellect is vast, your body strong, and your splendor great With your lack of arrogance and freedom from conceit Your flow is long and current fierce As you have removed impurities and possess the capacity to extract the quintessence Your body and mind are pure while the glorious qualities of your youth flourish O waterfall, You are the witness to history You are the guide to the future Within each of your crystal-clear drops of water The highs and lows of snowy Tibet are inscribed And inside each droplet of your spray The rise and fall of the cool land of snows are contained Without you, How are we to temper the steel of the sword of grammar? Without you, How are we to sharpen the razor of craftsmanship? Without you, The tree of medicine cannot flourish, The flowers of logic and fruit of the inner sciences cannot possibly ripen Perhaps— Within this crystal-like mind of yours The wounds of history The ailments of battle The boils of blind faith And the dust of conservatism might possibly be found Nevertheless, Since you possess the majesty of youth and naturally present glory The frost of the three months of winter will never —have a chance to place your mind within the recess of glaciers The razor blazes of stormy winds might slash —your stream a hundred times, yet how could it ever actually be severed? The reason— The head of your river is linked with the snows And your river’s mouth mixes with the oceans Thus, your long flow of history Has granted us splendor and honor The beautiful sound of the flow of your generations Has granted us encouragement and strength Have your heard—O waterfall! Of these questions of the youth of snowy Tibet? When the stallion of poetry is suffering of thirst, what shall we do? When the elephant of composition is suffering of heat, what shall we do? When the lion of poetic synonyms is oppressed by malevolence, what shall we do? When the young child of drama is left behind as an orphan, how shall we take care of him? When the paternal inheritance of astrology is left behind, empty, who will uphold it? When the young man of science is taken as a groom, how will he be welcomed? When the daughter of craftsmanship is taken as a bride, who will be the husband? Yes, indeed—O waterfall! Your answers which come from music, clear and pristine, beautiful and charming, —We hold in our hearts, like an image carved in stone Surely It is not suitable for the past that blazed with thousand brilliant lights to substitute the present And how could yesterday with its taste of salt ever quench the thirst of today? When the life-force that is ripe for the times Does not fit the lifeless corpse of history, difficult to find, It’s impossible for the pulse of improvement to beat And the heart blood of advancement cannot flow Even more so are the steps on the way forward Hey, waterfall! From your waves shimmering and glistening And from your spray scattering to and fro— Our strength —The strength of the new generation of snowy Tibet has been symbolized From your gurgling, flowing current, And the bubbling sound of your flowing water Our dreams, —the dreams of the new generation of snowy Tibet, are manifest Conservatism, cowardice, blind faith, and laziness… … These have no place whatsoever in this generation of ours Backwardness, barbarism, darkness, backwards customs… … There is no room, whatsoever, for these in our century Waterfall, O waterfall! Our mind flows with your movement and Our blood, as well, courses alongside your currents Although on the path of the future The twists and turns may be greater than before, Nevertheless, there is no chance for the youth of Tibet to be afraid We will certainly forge a new path forward For each and every one of our people Look! The squadron lined up, those are the new generation of Tibet Listen! This steady song is the footsteps of the youth of snowy Tibet A great, luminous path Responsibility with glory Joyful livelihoods Songs of struggle Have not vanished within the youth of the waterfall, And even more so, the waterfall of youth does not decline This— This is the waterfall of youth emerging from the voices of the young generations of snowy Tibet! This— The waterfall of youth flowing in the minds of the youth of snowy Tibet Notes Introduction: The tragic yet prolific life of Döndrup Gyal (1953–1985) was one of the foremost catalysts for the birth of modern literature in Tibet. Having grown up during the Cultural Revolution, Döndrul Gyal was one of the first Tibetans to attend Chinese universities upon the post-revolution opening-up and reform. Not only did studying with renown Tibetan and Chinese scholars at the Central Nationalities Institute in Beijing honed his writings skills and gave him access to a new world of literature, it also shaped his progressive vision for the Tibetans. It was this combination of literary skill and innovative thinking that Döndrup Gyal would soon become famous for. Unfortunately, his progressive views and innovative statements also made him a target for criticism and ostracization in the highly conservative Tibetan society of the day. This, in addition to strained relationships with colleagues and local officials, as well as marital problems with his wife Yumkyi, contributed to his eventual suicide in 1985. Despite his short life of only thirty-two years, his collected works contain six volumes of poetry, fiction, analytical essays, and more which are still studied today. Written under his penname, Rangdrol (self-liberated), Waterfall of Youth is said to be the very first free-verse poem written in Tibetan. To be sure, there is debate whether the Songs of Milarepa and other Tibetan folk literature may equally constitute free-verse poetry. Despite this, it would be impossible to claim that the form and content of Waterfall of Youth were not unique and innovative for its time. The form of the poem is that of a waterfall. As you read down the page, you can see the sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, flow of the waterfall of youth visually cascading down the page. Indeed, when you read the poem, the cadence of the lines is reminiscent of the flow of a waterfall or the current of a river. This form would have previously been most difficult to capture in Tibetan writing given that the majority of books were written or printed on long, narrow rectangular manuscripts. Likewise, the non-native punctuation—namely ellipses and em-dashes—used by Döndrup Gyal here are perhaps one of the very first instances in Tibetan literature. Despite this radically new form, much of the content echoes of the the Tibetan literature of old. We can see the influences of Indic aesthetics that have so deeply impacted Tibetan literature also present in Waterfall of Youth with deities like Indra and Sarasvasti and animals like elephants and peacocks. Likewise, the five major and five minor fields of traditionally learning form the basis of the questions the youth of Tibet ask the waterfall. Yet, at the very same time, the impact of the political slogans of the day are readily utilized by Döndrup Gyal. Words like conservatism, blind faith, laziness, backwardness, and so forth are all likely words newly created by the communist translation efforts. This blending of tradition and innovation, Buddhist and political terminology, is what has made Waterfall of Youth a timeless poem for Tibetans. This legacy is constantly being reinterpreted too. The words of the poem have been turned into lyrics for a rap song by Tibet’s famous hip-hop artist, Dekyi Tsering. Likewise, numerous parodies have been composed such as Waterfall of Beer and so forth. To date, there are two existing English translations—one by the historian Tsering Shakya and the other by the recently deceased Tsering D. Gonkatsang. Nevertheless, both of these translations leave much to be desired as Shakya’s translation occasionally omits lines and Gonkatsang’s seems to forgo the waterfall stylized formatting. The below translation aims to address these issues by capturing both the tone and resonance while still presenting Döndrup Gyal’s vision in an accessible way. May the waterfall continue to flow onwards! [1] The bow of Indra (dbang po'i gzhu or brgya byin gzhu) is a poetic synonym for a rainbow. [2] The gandharvas are a class of being in the Indo-Tibetan cosmology and are said to be the musicians of the god realms. [3] Water possessing the eight qualities is traditionally said to be sweet, cool, smooth, light, clear, pure, soothing to the throat, and beneficial to the stomach. Published: September 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY Don grub rgyal. 1997. Lang tsho'i rbab chu. In gsung 'bum don grub rgyal, edited by dbyangs can sgeg pa'i blo gros, Par gzhi dang po par thengs dang po, vol. 1, pp. 160–167. Mi rigs dpe bskrun khang. BDRC MW18123 Abstract Written under his penname, Rangdröl (self-liberated), Döndrup Gyal's Waterfall of Youth is a free-verse poem written in Tibetan. The form of the poem is that of a waterfall. As you read down the page, you can see the sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, flow of the waterfall of youth visually cascading down the page. The cadence of the lines is reminiscent of the flow of a waterfall or the current of a river. BDRC LINK MW18123 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 07:27 TRADITION N/A INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 20th Century TEACHERS N/A TRANSLATOR Lowell Cook INSTITUTIONS N/A STUDENTS N/A AUTHOR Döndrup Gyal Waterfall of Youth VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

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Tracing Galenteng Monastery from its founding by Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje through its evolving construction, lineage affiliations, and even its changing name and pronunciation. The History of Galenteng Monastery The monastery sits in the Khorlo Valley [ 1] in the district of Dege. Initially, after killing the Tibetan King Lang Darma (r. 838–842), [ 2 ] Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje (early 9th cent. – mid 9th cent.) [ 3 ] fled to Do Kham in the year 1005/6 [ 4 ] and built a square meditation building without a central pillar. Later, Lord Ling Repa (1128–1188) [ 5 ] of the Kagyu [order] came and restored that meditation building. Then, while Ga Anyen Dampa (1230–1303) [ 6 ] was traveling to China, he constructed a protectors’ temple called Utter Victory Over Mara . [ 7 ] At a later time during the eleventh calendrical cycle (1600), the dharma lord Tenpa Tsering (1678–1738) [ 8 ] established an entire monastery, primarily building The Completely Victorious Teachings of the Buddha Assembly Hall along with its sacred objects and shrine rooms. Ga from the name Ga Ling [ 9 ] is a sub-category of the six principal Tibetan clans. In ancient times, there was a region that was cut off from the Ga clan and was known as the Land of Asha. [ 10 ] Due to the fact that the people [in that region] were not able to [properly] pronounce Ling, the word corrupted to Len. [ 11 ] Legend has it that when Anyen Dampa was travelling to China, he removed his saddle [to rest] at Galenteng and over time, the meaning of Galen [ 12 ] was said to derive from this [anecdote]. However, concerning this statement, Namkhai Norbu (1938–2018) [ 13 ] comments, “Since Anyen Dampa was riding a horse while traveling to China and while returning to Tibet, he would have unsaddled his horse every day. If [it is like the legend asserts], then all those areas in China and Tibet would be called Galenteng!” Consequently, since this place is in the center of the Land of Asha, the principal area of the ancient Ga descendants, it is conventionally known as Galing. After Lang Darma was set upon the throne the Buddha’s doctrine greatly diminished, and it was at this time that Lhalung Pelgi Dorje murdered him and then rode out in the direction of Do Kham [to escape]. When he [arrived and] set his lotus feet upon Galingteng, he saw that it was a marvelous place and constructed a square meditation building without a pillar. There he practiced for a few months. Since the families of the Asha [region] were well-disposed toward the teachings, they paid great respect and service toward Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje. However, he did not continue to reside in the area, and he travelled to the nearby cave of the Secret Lord, which had been blessed by Guru Pema. This place is in the central mountain of the supreme secret site of the peaceful and wrathful deities of the three families. This is where he spent the rest of his life, later passing into a body of rainbow light. [In a later period], Lord Ling Repa (of the Pakdru Kagyu) arrived at Galingteng and restored the meditation building of Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje. It is also where he taught the excellent teachings to the people of that land for a few months and built an additional square meditation building equal in size to the [other] meditation building. In that place, he accepted a few disciples, and their lineage holders resided there until [very] recently. Thereafter, when the teacher Ga Anyen Dampa was travelling from China to Tibet, he set his lotus feet upon Galingteng in Do Kham, arriving at the meditation building of Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje. There he constructed a protectors’ temple called Utter Victory Over Mara . It was from that period that the transmissions of the secret mantra of the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya [traditions] were continued without partiality. These teachings became the tradition of Lhalung Pelgyi [Dorje] of Galing. At a later time when the dharma lord Tenpa Tsering was building twenty-five temples [ 14 ] in Derge, he built Galingteng’s Completely Victorious Teachings of the Buddha Assembly Hall . [At that time] there were Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje’s meditation building and the outer and inner meditation [sections] of the lord of adepts Ling Repa’s meditation building. Frescos of the Kagyu and Nyingma [traditions] could be seen in the central and left shrine halls of the temple. Up until recently the shrine hall to the left, in particular, was set with statues of the peaceful and wrathful guru as well as the twenty-five disciples consisting of the lord and his subjects. [ 15 ] That shrine hall was widely known as The Nyingma Shrine Room . [ 16 ] Following the example of the prayer festival [ 17 ] in Lhasa, the king of Dege inaugurated the practice of The Great Six Assemblies of the Convocation [ 18 ] at Lhundrubteng’s Gonchen Monastery [ 19 ] and its seven subsidiary monasteries within which Galing Monastery is included. Later, the tradition of appointing an abbot from Ngor Tartse, [a guru’s residence at Ngor Ewam Choden Monastery], [ 20 ] at [Galingteng Monastery] flourished. This abbot was known as Rongpo Yarmar. [ 21 ] Many excellent and great beings came including: Sanggye Lhundrub [ 22 ] a guru of scholars and adepts, Ronpo Sherab Chozang, [ 23 ] and guru Nawang Pelden. [ 24 ] As the teachings from the previous tradition of Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje diminished, the people there considered it to be a monastery of the glorious Ngor [tradition]. More recently, many gurus of the Nyingtik , or Heart Essence, lineage came including the teacher-student pair of Galing Guru Kunga Pelden [ 25 ] and Khyentse Chokyi Wangchuk. [ 26 ] Once again the teachings of Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection, spread. Thus, for over nine-hundred years since the founding of this monastery, excellent and great beings who continued to come to [Galingteng] built many sacred objects and shrine rooms. Yet most importantly, during the time of the previous Galing Khyentse, a list was arranged containing names of the [sacred buildings and objects] that had been [at the monastery]. As mentioned beforehand, there is the four-pillared Completely Victorious Teachings of the Buddha Assembly Hall constructed by the dharma lord Tenpa Tsering, Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje’s meditation building, the lord of adepts Ling Repa’s meditation building that has outer and inner [sections], the temple of Rongpo Yarmar, the temple shrine room which is of the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya [traditions], Ga Anyen Dampa’s protectors’ temple called Utter Victory Over Mara , a giant prayer wheel, another shrine room, Galing Khyentse’s palace, and living quarters for over eighty monks. When it comes to the principal sacred objects, they include a pair of statues of the Buddha about a cubit high made of the Indian alloy called li khra , [ 27 ] a statue of the Mahakala’s Warm Bird [ 28 ] handcrafted by teacher Ga Anyen (It is widely known that at the heart of this statue remains the warmth of a bird.), three statues of a peaceful guru, a wrathful guru, and a lion guru, a statue of Vajrabhairava, a statue of Derge’s protector Nyenchen Getok Buzik Je, [ 29 ] a golden reliquary inlaid with precious stones, and cymbals called Dzamling Yezhag , which were famously brought by a garuda (These are said to be imprinted with the beak of the garuda.). Concerning the source of offerings such as the expenditure for conducting practices at this monastery: Previously, the followers [ 30 ] of the monastery were from six settlements—three settlements of Gyachu and three from Lezil . [ 31 ] Now, there are only the three settlements of Lezil (The other set of three does not exist.). They present offerings such as grains, butter, and cheese. The local Tibetan governing regimental commanders known as Khyung and Ton [ 32 ] respected Galing Guru Kunga Pelden as their main guru. As such, there are many taxed farmlands from places such as Korlo Valley, Khar Sum Valley, and Mar Rongnang,[ 33 ] which have been collected together. This monastery has four main administrators and around twenty service workers. Each of the main administrators hold their responsibilities for seven years. However, during the Cultural Revolution, the monastery’s sacred objects and shrine rooms were completely destroyed, and only the name remained. These days the temple, the statues of the Buddha and his principal retinue as well as the statues of Guru [Rinpoche] and his principal retinue have been newly constructed. More than forty monks [currently] reside at the monastery. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] 'khor lo mdo [2] glang dar ma or u'i dum bstan/'u dum bstan (Tri Üdum Tsen), BDRC P2MS13219 There are various dates put forth concerning the time period of Lang Darma, but here we are presenting from Dates in Tibetan History and Key Events in Neighboring Lands in The Tibetan History Reader, edited by Tuttle Gray and Schaeffer Kurtis R., Xv–Xxiii. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013. [3] lha lung dpal gyi rdo rje, BDRC P6986 [4] The script in the text is unclear if it is 1005 or 1006. Regardless, these dates need to be taken into consideration with the proposed dating of Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje and Lang Darma. See note above. [5] gling ras pa pad+ma rdo rje, BDRC P910 [6] sga a gnyan dam pa kun dga' grags pa, BDRC P2612 [7] bdud las rnam rgyal. [8] sde dge rgyal po 10 bstan pa tshe ring, BDRC P4095 [9] sga gling [10] 'a zha'i yul [11] len [12] sga len [13] nam kha'i nor bu [14] The clause here is: dus phyis chos rgyal bstan pa tshe ring gis sde dge las dgon nyi shu rtsa lnga bzhengs pa'i du|. We have consulted a handful of Tibetan and Western Tibetologists concerning las dgon and have not yet come to a definitive answer. According to Jann Ronis’ work The Deeds of the Dergé King in Sources of Tibetan Tradition edited by Kurtis R. Schaeffer, Matthew T. Kapstein, and Gray Tuttle, 607–614, New York: Columbia University Press, 2013, Tenpa Tsering constructed seventeen temples during his reign. There are, additionally, twenty-five major Sakya temples in Dege; however, the translators have not found a corroborating list. It has also been suggested that these are statues of the Raven-Faced Mahākāla (las mgon, Kakamukha Mahākāla), a retinue protector figure of Catubhuja Mahākāla. If you are able to provide any help in this matter, please contact Tib Shelf. [15] rje 'bangs nyer lnga [16] snying ma'i lha khang [17] smon lam [18] 'dzoms pa’i drug 'du chen mo [19] lhun grub steng, BDRC G193 [20] ngor thar rtse and Ngor e waM chos ldan, BDRC G211 [21] rong po yar mar [22] sangs rgyas lhun grub [23] rong po shes rab chos bzang [24] ngag dbang dpal ldan [25] kun dga' dpal ldan, BDRC P6963 [26] mkhyen brtse chos kyi dbang phyug [27] This is said to be made from gold, silver, zinc, and iron. [28] mgon po byi'u drod ma [29] gnyen chen gad thog bug zig rje [30] lha sde [31] brgya chu shog and Le zil shog [32] khyung, BDRC C11MS134 and ston [33] 'khor lo mdo, mkhar sum mdo, and dmar rong nang BIBLIOGRAPHY 'Jigs med bsam grub. 1995. Sga len dgon pa (sde dge rdzong) . In Dkar mdzes khul gyi dgon sde so so'i lo rgyu gsal bar bshad pa, vol. 1, pp. 240–241. Beijing: Khrung go'i bod kyis shes rig dpe skrun khang. BDRC W19997 Abstract A short text concerning Galenteng Monastery purportedly initially established by Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje. Its construction, linage affiliation, pronunciation, and orthography changed over time lending itself to a multitude of modifications. BDRC LINK W19997 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma | Kagyu | Sakya FOUNDED 1005/1006 REGION Derge ASSOCIATED PEOPLE Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje Ling Repa Anyen Dampa The Tenth Derge King, Tenpa Tsering Sanggye Lhundrub Ronpo Sherab Chozang Guru Nawang Pelden Kunga Pelden Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Wangchuk TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION N/A INCARNATION LINES Unknown AUTHOR Jigme Samdrup The History of Galenteng Monastery VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. 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A realized female master, Ḍākki Losal Drölma served as custodian of her half-brother Do Khyentse's treasure teachings while deepening her own spiritual attainments in Tibet's sacred sites The Biography of Ḍākki Losal Drölma OPENING PRAISE: Princess Mandāravā of India, To raise the Victor’s doctrine to a peak That at no time dwindles in the Land of Snow, You emanated intentionally in the heart of Dokham’s maṇḍala. Noble lady Ḍākki—I bow to you! CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The adept and great being Ḍākki Losal Drölma , also known as the precious Losal Wangmo, was not a descendant of the Refuge Protector Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s patrilineal line. [ 1 ] She was, however, his sister, an extraordinary Dharma custodian, and supreme disciple. [ 2 ] She spent much of her life living with the Precious Refuge Protector in the same encampment. For such reasons, I have arranged her concise life story. Since there has not been much written about her, I lack the good fortune to write a story in full. Yet portions of her life story [156] have been arranged in such works as the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī: An Autobiography and The Biography of Khyentse’s Signs of Accomplishment . [ 3 ] So, I will briefly recount her life story by relying upon these materials. Losal Drölma’s father was Chökorma Sönam Pen. Her mother was Tsewang Men, the daughter of Dapa and an emanation of Ḍākinī Shaza Khamoche (“Great Devourer of Flesh”). [ 4 ] She was born to these two in the Barzhi Nangpa household in [the Pema Bum tribal area] of lower Golok [in Amdo, Tibet]. [ 5 ] CHAPTER 2: HER BIRTH Ḍākki Losal Drölma entered the womb in the first month of the Water Dog year (1802) of the thirteenth Tibetan calendrical cycle. This time period is evident because the 32nd page of the Sichuan-printed version of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 6 ] "One night I had fallen asleep on my mother’s lap, and at dawn, my mother became a red woman with orange matted hair. At first, I was terrified, but then I asked, 'Who are you?' " 'I’m Dzompa Kyi, daughter of Hūṃkāra the holder of mantra. [ 7 ] Currently I am Shaza Khamoche, Appearing here as the mother of the Dharma King. If karma, auspicious connections, and aspirational prayers aren’t diverted, It’s certain that the sun and moon will rise together over Tibet!' " "It appears that my parents conceived my sister while we were living at that place." When this prophetic dream arose, the Refuge Protector Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje was three years old in the first month of the Water Dog year (1802), while he was living at the Shugchen Tago hermitage, the encampment [157] of the First Dodrubchen Trinle Özer . [ 8 ] Furthermore, during the gestation period following her conception, Ḍākinī Shaza Khamoche, as well as others, clearly prophesized that the daughter, Losal Drölma, was an emanation of Vajravārāhī, mother of all victors, and Noble Tārā. Additionally, while she was in the womb, many wondrous signs occurred that exceeded the imagination. The 38th page of the Sichuan-printed version of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 9 ] "I am uncertain if it was real or a dream, but one night an elderly woman appeared before me, bearing a walking stick in her hand. She pronounced: " ' Kye , son of a noble family! You, Brahmā’s Divine Flower, [ 10 ] And Tārā Vajravārāhī— If you three emanations Protect the welfare of beings in Tibet simultaneously When the signs of the future degeneration age come to be, The dying flames of the teachings will rekindle in the borderlands and central Tibet And the joy and happiness of sentient beings will increase! But gateways for demonic obstructors exist, And beings’ merit is of meager supply— So, no more than two of the three will come to be! Through the interdependence of skillful means and wisdom Of the combined, mutual emanations, Only you and Tārā’s form will manifest.' "Unexpectedly I replied, 'This is the pronouncement of Yingki Dorje! [ 11 ] My own emissary of enlightened activity, Tārā Vajravārāhī, must appear in the human world. It’s okay if the other cannot come. It’s even all right if the emanation is a combined form.' "The old woman came and kneeled [158] before me. A light ray radiated from her heart; out of nowhere, a guru clothed in the attire of a treasure revealer appeared. He melted into the light of the old woman’s heart, becoming a crystal vajra. Then the manifest orb of light melted into itself, and a blue woman rushed forth from the tip of a light ray. The light rays from the old woman’s heart caused the woman to dissolve into light, becoming Green Tārā, the size of a bean. "I looked at my mother and perceived her as the person who had earlier said, 'I am Shaza Khamoche.' [Green Tārā] then entered the crown of my mother’s head. " 'Since it’s said that connecting auspicious occasions is a great enhancement [to any situation],' the old woman commented, 'it is excellent that this has become just so.' Chanting SUPRA TIṢṬH VAJRA YE SVĀHĀ, she touched my mother’s head and mine one time each with her staff and vanished. When I woke from my dream, a deity had possessed my mother, causing her to say all sorts of things. "That night my mother dreamed that a woman came carrying a turquoise statue of a deity with its right leg extended, but its left leg was not visible. 'In all the realms of the universe, there is no Noble Tārā other than this. You must keep it safe!' Saying this, the woman placed it on my mother’s lap, and it dissolved into her heart. After that, sparks of light flickered in and around my father’s house, and from time to time, they encircled only my mother. "Others derided her saying, 'Isn’t this your deceptive magic? This is a sign of sorcery!' While several [159] remarked, 'This is a gyal provocation!' "In any case, because of oaths previously sworn, my sister had to accompany the great sage, just as a shadow follows one’s body, and accomplish enlightened activity. For this reason, since entering my mother’s womb, she was sure to be born in cyclic existence." When Do Khyentse was sixteen years old in the Wood Pig year (1815), while in retreat in the Resplendent Turquoise shrine room on the second floor of Samye Monastery, he experienced a vision in which the knowledge-holder Jigme Lingpa came before him. [ 12 ] Jigme Lingpa prophesized that the Precious Refuge Projector was his blessed emanation and Ḍākki Losal Drölma was [one of his] body emanations. The 90th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 13 ] "One night a frightful guru clad in white with matted hair bound up in a topknot about one cubit high appeared. Da-dum and sil went the skull ḍamaru and a bell that he bore as he danced about in numerous countenances: " 'Now, upon the peak of Cāmaradvīpa’s Glorious Mountain, The saṃbhogakāya Stainless Teacher Is professing the Dharma to karmically-endowed retinues. After twenty human years have come and gone, On the eight rākṣasa islands, for the span of seven years, He will teach the supreme, secret teachings of union and liberation. Then from the peak of the mountain, the summation of all, He will [160] teach the Great Perfection To the manifest sage, Drimé Özer, and retinues of hundreds of thousands. By the power of aspirational prayers, a blessed emanation will descend And the Dharma will fall like rain in lower Dokham. At that time, you, fortunate one, will be liberated in the dharmakāya And have control over the secret sky-cache of mind treasures— It is certain the two-fold benefit will be spontaneously accomplished! My own emanation, Ḍākkima, Will take care of the Formless Ḍākinī teaching cycle. I and the emanation will mix as one experience into the ground of being, And your service will be completed. This is certain!' " Dodrubchen Rinpoche Jigme Trinle Özer and other great beings also gave many confirming prophecies that Ḍākki Losal Drölma was indeed an emanation. Losal Drölma was born at dusk on the tenth day of the tenth month in the Water Dog year (1802) of the thirteenth calendrical cycle. A great many marvelous sights accompanied her birth. The 39th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 14 ] "At dawn of the tenth day of the tenth month, OṂ TĀRE TUTTĀRE TURE SVĀHĀ was heard resounding, and green light spilled forth from the house. On that day, a rainbow appeared in the sky, and many vultures flocked en masse above the village. Looking downwards, I saw five vultures perched atop our house. "I laid down for a short nap that day. Whether or not it was a vision or a dream, I am uncertain, but a rainbow and a pavilion of light appeared in the expanse of the sky. A dark blue [161] deer crowned with a single golden horn sat in its center. As rainbow light emanated from its body, it proclaimed: " 'The human realm I roam, In a form arisen from the saṃbhogakāya. Seizing a body of light endowed with the essence of primordial wisdom, I shall teach the signs and symbols of Dharma, Liberate beings through a variety of skillful means, And make all my relationships and associations meaningful.' "Right at that moment I awoke, and my grandmother said to me, 'There’s a sweet fragrance here in this house today. It’s high time your mother gave birth. So, isn’t an emanation bound to be born as your little brother?' "During the evening that night, the entire house sparkled with red light, rainbow light swirled, and all sorts of other phenomena occurred. My sister was born during the early night’s wrathful period. That night I was put upstairs. "The following morning, I came down to see her. She was in a dark room in the inner part of the house, but the whole place was suffused with five colored rainbows. I saw several small deities of various colors that were only the size of a finger span, many looked like human girls. Then, in the center of a swirling rainbow, I saw a green-glowing infant. " 'Are you my sister?' I asked. 'Oh, oh,' she replied as she grabbed my hand, smiling. Taking a second look, I realized the small girl was holding my hand." This event occurred in the Water Dog year (1802) when the Refuge Protector was three years old while his family was living at the Barzhi [162] Nangpa household in his fatherland. CHAPTER 3: TRAVELING TO LHASA IN CENTRAL TIBET When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was two in the Water Pig year (1803), as the elder Dodrubchen Jigme Trinle Özer instructed, the Precious Refuge Protector Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, Ḍākkima, and their entourage began their journey to Drigung Til Monastery, traveling in the direction of Lhasa in central Tibet. [ 15 ] Eventually they made their way from Golok and arrived at Dzogchen Monastery in Derge, where they set up camp in the Rudam Orgyan Lhalung valley. [ 16 ] While camping there, they visited the monastery and religious objects of body, speech, and mind, in addition to meeting the Fourth Dzogchen Rinpoche Namkhe Mingyur Dorje and many tulkus and khenpos from whom they imbibed the nectar of the teachings. [ 17 ] Subsequently, they accompanied the elder Dodrubchen to Derge and moved their camp to Chölung Dong. [ 18 ] In the capital, they partook in the nectar of the teachings from [the First] Katok Situ Chökyi Senge, [the Third] Shechen Rabjam Paljor Gyatso, [the First] Gotsa Chogtrul Jampal Samten Gyatso, and many other khenpos and tulkus. [ 19 ] Most notably, they received the empowerments and oral transmissions for Longchenpa’s Seven Treasuries and the Nyingtik Yabzhi from the elder Dodrubchen Rinpoche Jigme Trinle Özer. [ 20 ] They also conferred the throne ceremony for the Precious Refuge Protector, from which the teacher [Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje] and his retinue became a source of auspiciousness. Eventually, they continued their journey to central Tibet, accompanied by a welcoming party [163] from Drigung Monastery, in addition to a Derge escort. They reached Drigung Yangri Gar, and after some time, they traveled and lived in such places as Drigung Dzongsar. [ 21 ] It was at this time that they made many spiritual connections with the two Zhabdrungs and others. Having arrived at Drigung Monastery, the knowledge-holder Jigme Lingpa’s consort [Gyalyum Drönkar] and the attendant Özer Taye came from Tseringjong and met Do Khyentse, Ḍākkima, and their companions, to whom they extended an invitation [to Tseringjong]. [ 22 ] At that time, Losal Drölma’s previous propensities awoke, and she put forth many questions to Jigme Lingpa’s consort and the attendant Özer Taye, concerning various stories of the Tseringjong residence and other things. This delighted Jigme Lingpa’s consort and Özer Taye. Özer Taye lauded her saying, “There is no doubt that this girl is also an emanation of our Lama and Refuge Lord [Jigme Lingpa]!” The 58th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 23 ] "During those times, my sister adored nephew Özer and Jigme Lingpa’s consort from an early age. Since she enquired about various things from the past, his consort felt an intense attachment to her. Nephew Özer Taye recalled, 'My excellent Refuge Lord (Jigme Lingpa) said that he’ll display a variety of emanations and promised to attain the state of a mahāmudrā knowledge-holder. Since there are bound to be several variations of his emanations, it’s without a doubt that this girl is a manifestation of his three secrets. So, it would indeed be good if she were to stay with [164] his consort for a time.' "However, my parents replied, 'Our boy is already a tulku. If we were to offer you two our daughter, then we wouldn’t be able to contain our immense sorrow upon our return home!' " Then Ḍākkima relied on both Drigung Refuge Protectors and remained at the Drigung residences for three years. When she was four in the Wood Ox year (1805), after living at Drigung Monastery, Ḍākkima returned with her parents to Golok, her fatherland. Living there for some years, she relied on Dodrubchen Rinpoche and learned the alphabet, reading, and writing while receiving various streams of empowerment and transmission. Nevertheless, it is apparent that she was led back to her fatherland on account of her paternal and maternal uncles’ deep faith in and attachment to worldly affairs. The 74th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 24 ] "While my sister traveled to Lhasa and back, she spent a few years in the presence of lamas and experienced the awakening of previous habitual tendencies and some incomplete visions. But our paternal and maternal uncles forced my parents and sister, along with our property, to return to our fatherland. Because of the land and companions [being unconducive], my sister’s pure visions vanished for some time." [165] CHAPTER 4: LIVING IN SUCH PLACES AS GOLOK When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was eleven years old in the Water Monkey year (1812), she lived in Golok. That year the Precious Refuge Protector went to stay in Dodrubchen’s camp following his time at Drigung Monastery, during which the siblings had the opportunity to meet and speak with each other. The 74th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 25 ] "I arrived at Do Gongma in upper Golok and met some locals but most importantly my mother and my sister." [ 26 ] When she was fourteen in the Wood Pig year (1815), Ḍākkima once again prepared to go with the Precious Refuge Protector to Lhasa in central Tibet. But she did not receive the elder Dodrubchen’s permission. It seems for that reason, she remained in her fatherland just like she had done before. The 86th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 27 ] "The elder Dodrubchen remarked, 'If your sister went to Lhasa with you, it would be excellent for you. But it appears that the both of you wouldn’t return, so it’s better to postpone such a journey.' " Ever since Ḍākkima was young, it is clearly stated in the beginning, middle, and end of the Refuge Protector’s autobiography that she was integral in assisting him in accomplishing enlightened [166] activity. According to Ḍākkima’s biographical accounts, as mentioned above, in addition to other sources, she did not have the fortune to engage in extensive learning and contemplation before the age of fifteen. CHAPTER 5: TRAVELING TO KATOK MONASTERY FOR STUDY AND CONTEMPLATION When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was fifteen in the Fire Bird year (1816), as the elder Dodrubchen instructed, she set off with the Precious Refuge Protector, Gyi Lung Tugchok Dorje, and others to Katok Monastery and Getse’s monastic seat of Drago Hermitage, for study and contemplation. [ 28 ] From Getse Mahāpaṇḍita Gyurme Tsewang Chogdrub they perfectly obtained streams of [167] empowerments, oral transmissions, and instructions. [ 29 ] These included the empowerment for The Sūtra Which Gathers All Intentions and the empowerments and oral transmissions for The Magical Display of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities , Yangdak Heruka, The Union of the Buddhas , Emptying Saṃsāra's Depths , Vajrakīla, and the three lineages of the Kagyu. [ 30 ] In addition to these, they received a stream of oral transmissions—namely, various commentaries on the Guhyagarbhatantra , Ka Dampa Deshek Sherab Senge’s collected works, Kunzang Ngedön’s collected works, and Getse Mahāpaṇḍita’s collected works. [ 31 ] They also received empowerments, transmissions, and instructions for the Guhyagarbhatantra , Madhyamaka collections, and the presentation of the philosophical systems, all from the master. Moreover, they acquired many lines of empowerment and oral transmission from Katok Drimé Zhingkyong, Mogtsa Rinpoche [Chöying Dorje], and others. [ 32 ] The 116th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 33 ] "That autumn, I went to beg for barley alms in Dzirkala, and when I came back my sister and mother arrived at the Lord Lama’s residence from Golok.[ 34 ] There were more than ten of us who traveled to Katok Monastery: my sister and I, Gyiling Chogtrul Tugchok Dorje, Lord Lama’s nephew Tobgyal, nephew Longsal, and attendants." [ 35 ] For more than a year, Losal Drölma extensively studied and contemplated in various places, Katok Monastery, for example. Following this, she returned to Dodrubchen’s camp. The 118th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 36 ] "For a short while, my sister returned to Lord Lama once again." Since that time, she relied on Dodrubchen Rinpoche as her primary lama, receiving an ocean-like number of empowerments, oral transmissions, instructions, and advice for sūtra and mantra teachings. She lived at Dodrubchen’s camp up to the time of his passing. CHAPTER 6: LIVING IN THE CAPITAL OF DERGE When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was eighteen in the Earth Rabbit year (1819), she [168] and the Precious Refuge Protector Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje traveled together to Lhundrubgang in the Derge capital. [ 37 ] While Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje was in a retreat at Lhundrubgang, Ḍākkima, Jigme Losal, and others served as his attendants. [ 38 ] The 125th page of the Precious Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states :[ 39 ] "Having been granted permission to remain in retreat for a period at Lhundrubgang, I exerted myself in the practice of approach and accomplishment of the deity. I only had three religious companions with me at that time: my sister, the previous Omniscient One’s direct disciple, Jigme Losal, and my personal attendant, Kunzang Tendar." [ 40 ] At that time, the Refuge Protector sent Ḍākkima to conduct a feast offering in the valley above the capital Lhundrubteng. When she was there, a ḍākinī appeared before her and spoke many symbolic teachings—the ḍākinī proffered her own urine Losal Drölma and a bowl brimming with green ambrosia. By imbibing these, Ḍākkima’s mind-stream was blessed, an extraordinary blissful joy was induced in her, and she became victorious over the battling, hindering hordes. The ḍākinī sent Losal Drölma back to Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje with tales of symbolic teachings, a protection cord, and sacred items. The 126th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 41 ] "One day, I sent my sister with several materials for a feast. I told her to offer them to that old woman in the upper valley, so my sister and her attendant [169] set out on their way. They found an old woman with hair whiter than a conch shell, draped in a tattered robe, asleep in a stone enclosure. My sister gave her the meat, beer, roasted barley flour, and a few other gifts, saying, 'These are for you from the Tulku.' " 'Ha! Ha!' she laughed. 'What am I to do with this flour?' the old woman retorted. She chucked the flour into the air, then devoured the meat and gulped down the beer. 'My poor child! There’s no one more troubled than him in this human realm. The minuscule merit of this world is depleting; even the many auspicious gates are in turmoil. I’ve expelled the obstacles to his life, and now there’s little need for me to stay here any longer.' "My sister’s attendant spewed all sorts of arrogant things after witnessing this. 'We can’t stay here now. It’s best we leave. This old hag is disgusting!' "The old woman sprang up and ran towards them as they began to depart. 'If you go down any further,' she yelled, 'I’ll chuck these stones at you and bash that head of yours!' Looking at my sister’s friend, she exclaimed, 'You can take that meager merit of yours and bug off.' "Frightened as she was, my sister returned to the ḍākinī and found her stark naked, scampering around the enclosure. The woman came, stared at my sister, and shot a stream of urine. It went into my sister’s mouth, descending to her stomach. My sister could smell the scent of accomplished medicine, and her entire body tingled and trembled with a numbing yet blissful sensation. Gazing over at the old woman, she uttered, 'The old woman’s body is made up of rainbow light!' " 'Girl, you should go. I won’t be staying here long, myself, now. I’ve been waiting for you. Even though I haven’t met my boy, [170] meeting my girl is good enough. O my troubled boy, don’t stay here too long! The auspicious connections of this realm have become uncertain. But if you were to depart for any other world, I would compassionately care for you.' She put a roll of paper bound with white and red thread into my sister’s hand, instructing, 'Give this to my troubled boy.' "She filled her bowl to the brim with a unique, green beer and told my sister to drink it. 'For the next two years,' the ḍākinī said, 'you’ll experience an obstacle, but mother will definitely take care of you.' "My sister drank the beer-like substance without leaving anything behind and returned in a drunken-like state. Having given me the sacred items, she began to tell me her story in detail." CHAPTER 7: LIVING AT DODRUBCHEN'S CAMP When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was nineteen years old in the Iron Dragon year (1820), the Precious Refuge Protector renounced his familial property and became a renunciant. Leaving Dodrubchen’s encampment, he went on a northern pilgrimage to such places as Trokyab Tugje Chenpo. [ 42 ] At that time it seems Ḍākkima was staying at Dodrubchen’s encampment for study and contemplation because the Precious Refuge Protector eventually traveled back from Trokyab Tugje Chenpo and arrived at Dzöge Tangkor. [ 43 ] At that time, he met a man from his homeland, Chagtar Gyal of Takshok, Golok. [ 44 ] [171] He sent a letter for the elder Dodrubchen and his sister, Losal Drölma, with the man. The 143rd page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 45 ] "One time, when I arrived at Dzöge Tangkor, I met Chagtar Gyal of Takshok. I sent a letter with him asking Lord Lama for his permission to go to Tsongön [province] in the north. [ 46 ] I also wrote an aspiration never to be separated from him in all my lives to come, even if I could not be with him at that time. Lastly, I wrote to my sister, asking her to stay with him for as long as he lived. And that when he passed, I would come for her, and we would go to a remote mountain and practice the authentic, divine Dharma. Losal Drölma eventually journeyed on the road following this." When she was twenty in the Iron Snake year (1821), the elder Dodrubchen passed away. Ḍākkima, Longsal, and attendants, seven in all, left Yarlung Pemakö Monastery, the second seat of the elder Dodrubchen, and journeyed to Rebkong’s sacred place of Ling Gya Amnye Lhari to invite the Precious Refuge Protector. [ 47 ] Having arrived at their destination, Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, Losal Drölma, and retinue reunited at Ling Gya’s Mantra Temple. [ 48 ] Ḍākkima offered Dodrubchen’s final testament and letter to her brother. Then they and their entourage departed Ling Gya’s Mantra Temple for Golok. Ḍākkima [172] remained in her fatherland, but the Refuge Protector and his entourage proceeded to the elder Dodrubchen’s seat of Yarlung Pemakö. The 161st page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 49 ] "I finished retreat, and many mantra practitioners of the Eight Pronouncements gathered at Ling Gya’s Mantra Temple .[ 50 ] At that time, my sister Losal Drölma, some attendants, and in particular the Lord Lama’s nephew Longsal, seven in all, arrived from Kham. They told me how the Lord Lama’s omniscient mind dissolved into the dharmadhātu and handed me a scroll containing his final testament. They were also there to escort me back. "After I had left earlier, my sister completely fulfilled all the wishes Lord Lama had near the time of his death. Without leaving anything out, he had given her his outer, inner, and secret final testament, instructions, and other things. "Because of past dreams and prophecies, I had altogether decided to return. … [ 51 ] I passed through Ladrang Tashi Gomang, Sangkok, Ngulra Lhadé, and some other places, eventually arriving in Golok. [ 52 ] My sister resided in my father’s house for a short while as I took the path leading to Yarlung Pemakö, the seat of my Refuge Protector and Dharma King [Dodrubchen]. The Lord Lama’s remains and tiny pearl-like relics ( ringsel ) had been placed inside a vase, and I prostrated, made offerings, prayers, aspirations, and other things as much as I could for a full week."[173] CHAPTER 8: LIVING AT THE DO DZONG HERMITAGE When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was twenty-one in the Water Horse year (1822), she and the Precious Refuge Protector built a new hermitage in the great Do Dzong in the Nyenpo Yutse mountain range. [ 53 ] There Losal Drölma received the instructions for the preliminary practices and so forth from Do Khyentse. That year Ḍākkima had a vision of the mantra protectress [Ekajaṭā] in which a prophecy arose, foretelling that the Refuge Protector would experience an obstruction to his physical wellbeing, and she would have to avert it by means of her resolve. She practiced all the outer and inner enlightened activities and remained at the hermitage for a short while. The 165th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 54 ] "At the time of the old new year’s, I arrived in Golok and established a new cave in Do Dzong. Thinking we ought to practice, my sister and I, along with a few others, arranged various auspicious connections according to the ḍākinī’s secret prophecies. But on account of the powerful Margyen Tromkyi’s misguided aspirations and my realization being obscured, all our deeds of auspicious connections had come to nothing. [ 55 ] I only gave condensed instructions for the preliminary practices to some of those who had gathered. "Meanwhile, on account of the ḍākinīs attachment to me, [174] a few signs and indications showed that my body and mind were on the verge of separation. Nevertheless, the force of my sister’s fervent aspirations and the power of the heroes and ḍākinīs of Kham Tsāriṭa prevented my death. [ 56 ] "One time I went to the shore of Yutse Lake, where the obscurations within the three doors of body, speech, and mind were dispelled. [ 57 ] Again, at Do Dzong, I engaged in the Lotus King’s practice just to pass the time. Once during that period, Ekajaṭā had secretly possessed my sister and commanded, 'Don’t stay in this place now. Separate yourselves from vow breakers and set off to the sacred site of Tugje Chenpo.' So, we prepared to depart, but my father did not allow my sister to come." From that year on, the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima stayed together in the same encampment, where she alone was the companion for Do Khyentse’s enlightened activities. When she was twenty-two years old in the Water Sheep year (1823), Ḍākkima lived at the Do Dzong hermitage while the Precious Refuge Protector dwelled at Trokyab Tugje Chenpo in Gyalrong .[ 58 ] At that time, Do Khyentse sent a messenger to Golok to invite Ḍākkima. Departing Do Dzong Hermitage in Golok with an entourage, she eventually arrived at Tsakhagyal Tashitang in Gyalrong, where Yeshe Dorje and his entourage met her. [ 59 ] Do Khyentse gave instructions on the preliminary channels and winds practices and conferred some empowerments to a group of more than one-hundred disciples from various places most importantly to Losal Drölma. This was when ḍākinīs of magnetization possessed [175] her. She performed immeasurable wondrous magical powers: accomplishing the unsurpassable conducive circumstances for the activities of empowerment and instruction, sitting cross-legged in the sky, and ejecting her consciousness with a forceful PHAṬ! causing her body to become lifeless only later to summon her consciousness back into the corpse. Other unfathomable signs occurred—namely, not eating for seven days on end, she abandoned all sleep and sang songs of meditative experience day and night and spoke various symbolic languages of the ḍākinīs as they endeavored in methods for gathering the ḍākinīs. The 166th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 60 ] "[One day, Ḍākinī Shaza Khamoche possessed my Dharma friend Rogza Sönam Palge and said, '[…] from the Sheep year onward, you must gather all who uphold their commitments, especially your great sister, Tārā’s divine emanation, and for a few years do nothing but arranging various auspicious conditions.' [ 61 ] "Accordingly, I sent someone to escort my sister. As soon as we finished our prostrations and circumambulations at Tugje Chenpo, we traveled through Drong Dzong and arrived at Tsakhagyal Tashitang, where my mother and sister also came. [ 62 ] For a hundred days, I taught the preliminary practices of the channels and winds to about a hundred people in the surrounding area, particularly from Pema Senge, Yulzhi. [ 63 ] "At times, as I endeavored to please the heroes and ḍākinīs, using various auspicious [176] methods akin to the entertaining games of children, all sorts of visions arose. One time, Lama Rogza Sönam Palge led us in the rituals. On another occasion, the blessings of the primordial wisdom ḍākinīs descended upon seven or so people who upheld their commitments, including my sister, and many doors of auspicious connections opened. "We performed an elaborate feast offering in a secluded place, where my great sister transformed into Ḍākinī Sazin Chenmo (“Great Holder of Earth”) and accomplished all the activities of the maṇḍala. [ 64 ] Moreover, the five types of ḍākinīs possessed five others, both men and women, and taught various symbolic teachings. Siṃhamukhā possessed Rogza Sönam Palge and guarded the boundary. Pema Senge transformed into Hayagrīva and subdued the obstructors. Two low-caste individuals exhibited the forms of demonesses and fled the maṇḍala. However, others in the group experienced the sudden rush of the vision of the dharmatā, performed vajra songs and dances, spoke in Sanskrit, and remained in a carefree and aimless state for an entire day. The more common signs were boundless: rainbow light swirled around the maṇḍala, the taste and potency of the feast substances were exquisite, and a fragrant aroma wafted about. "At that time, secret and marvelous auspicious connections were complete, and my great sister performed boundless feats of miraculous magical powers. She transformed into Ḍākinī Pema Bumde and floated in the sky, cross-legged, then ejected her consciousness into another realm through a mighty PHAṬ! resulting in her body laying lifeless. [ 65 ] Afterwards, she summoned [177] her consciousness back into the corpse. For seven days on end, she did not partake in any sustenance nor sleep, but songs of meditative experience she sang throughout the day and night and spoke in the various symbolic language of the ḍākinīs. Meanwhile, we endeavored in devices that gather the ḍākinīs. After seven days had passed, the immense auspicious connections were excellently perfected." The place mentioned above in which the Refuge Protector turned the wheel of the Dharma was not clearly specified in his autobiography. Nevertheless, after finishing all the activities, including turning the wheel of the Dharma, they went to Golok, upper and lower Tsang, and other places. Afterwards, they headed in the direction of Gyalrong and spent the winter at the Sarwaha Hermitage, located in Drong Dzong, in the mountain range in front of Trokyab Tugje Chenpo. [ 66 ] It was in that place during the winter that Do Khyentse’s daughter, Khaying Drölma, an emanation of Yeshe Tsogyal, was born. [ 67 ] Since Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage was a primary seat of the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, it appears that there they turned the wheel of the Dharma. Currently, not only do the ruins of the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima’s retreat houses remain, but a mantra practitioner from Rebkong, Amdo, has restored what appears to be Ḍākkima’s retreat house. At the age of twenty-three in the Wood Monkey year (1824), Ḍākkima, [178] the Refuge Protector, and their entourage traveled together from Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage to Dzirka, Dzamtang. [ 68 ] Then Ḍākkima proceeded with an entourage to the Do Dzong hermitage in Golok. Do Khyentse and his retinue passed through Yarlung Pemakö and Lhundrubteng, in Derge’s capital, on his way to Dzachukha, eventually arriving at Do Dzong Hermitage. [ 69 ] In that year, primordial wisdom ḍākinīs possessed Ḍākkima, and she foretold prophecies and dispensed auspicious teachings, numerous in number. The disciples endeavored in these auspicious instructions, giving no thought to day or night; such efforts ousted the physical obstacles of the Refuge Protector Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. Then he and Ḍākkima, with retinue in tow, made Drong Dzong Hermitage their residence for a short while, where they conducted a meditation retreat and brought benefit to the teachings and beings. The 169th page of the Refuge-Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: [ 70 ] "The Refuge Lord’s (Dodrubchen) nephew, Jigchang, also arrived to invite me back to Derge. [ 71 ] We all departed with a retinue from Sarwaha Hermitage, heading to Yulzhi. When we reached our destination, my father also wanted to visit Tugje Chenpo with us. As soon as the pilgrimage concluded, the group separated as we set out on the road. Starting from Dzirka Nada, we went our different ways: my parent and sister returned to Golok while I set off for Derge." [ 72 ] Then the 173rd page states: [ 73 ] "I arrived in Golok. [179] In Do Dzong, I conducted a short approach and accomplishment practice, and my great sister transformed into various primordial wisdom ḍākinīs and gave prophecies and commands through several methods that gather the auspicious connections. [ 74 ] All those close to me incessantly generated fierce courage, day and night, and dispelled the great obstacle to my life that year." When she was twenty-four years old in the Wood Bird year (1825), Ḍākkima, the Refuge Protector, and their entourage left Do Dzong Hermitage and went to Mayul Pema Rito in the land of Golok, where they lived for a short time.[ 75 ] During their stay, wondrous and inconceivable sights occurred: they were welcomed by the deities of Ling, for instance, Machik Drubpe Gyalmo bestowed a long-life empowerment, and Ḍākinī Göcham Karmo possessed Ḍākkima and healed her depleted life-essence.[ 76 ] In those sacred sites of accomplishment, including the Ling Gesar meditation house, they temporarily remained and practiced.[ 77 ] Following this, the Refuge Protector, Ḍākkima, and their entourage returned to Do Dzong Hermitage, but they eventually left Do Dzong Hermitage. Passing through Dzirka, they traveled to such places as Yulzhi, Tugje Chenpo, and Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage. While residing in those places along their way, they carried out beneficial deeds on behalf of the teachings and beings. Later Ḍākkima left Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage and went to Do Dzong Hermitage located in Golok. Meanwhile, the Refuge Protector was benefiting the teachings and beings [180] in the environs of Gyalrong since he was living there for a short time. The 174th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 78 ] "Following the prophecy of the ḍākinīs, in the first month of the Bird year, my sister and I, along with a four-monk retinue, went to Mayul Pema Rito. The deities of Ling welcomed us, and various excellent and wondrous sights took place. We found the place of accomplishment called Lion Cub’s Striped Meditation House, which is the sacred place of the Lotus King’s activity emanation, supreme being Gesar, the enemy-conquering jewel.[ 79 ] "During our week-long stay, Machik Drubpe Gyalmo appeared before our very eyes and bestowed a long-life empowerment, and Göcham Karmo descended into my sister, taking possession of her and healing her life-essence. I revealed treasures, including Ling’s Soul Animals and the father teachings.[ 80 ] But as the earth treasures are the terrestrial essence of the world, I entrusted them to the care of the treasure lords. We also empowered the prominent local gods and warrior spirits and gave them assurances and high praises. Having done so, we established a continuation of the auspicious connections and began our return journey. "All the monks from our encampment arrived from Dzachuka. Then we passed through Dzirka and arrived in Yulzhi. To fulfill the requests of Lama Pema Senge, I spent some time in Omgo, where I bestowed some of the empowerments and oral transmissions for The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse (Longchen Nyingtik).[ 81 ] But because there were some with broken vows and low-caste women with perverted aspirations, the auspicious connections withered for some [181] time, like a sprout destroyed by frost. We left as the welcoming escort from Puntsok Dzong arrived.[ 82 ] And following a short stop at Tugje Chenpo, we arrived at Drong Dzong Sarwaha and went our separate ways—my sister went to Golok as I continued to Puntsok Dzong." When she was twenty-five in the Fire Bird year (1826), Ḍākkima went to Do Dzong Hermitage and enacted helpful deeds for the sake of the teachings and beings. That year, the Precious Refuge Protector left Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage in Gyalrong and traveled to Golok, where he reunited with Ḍākkima. Since the Refuge Protector returned, Ḍākkima accompanied him to Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage. Having lived there for a while, Ḍākkima returned to Do Dzong Hermitage. The 175th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 83 ] "On one occasion, I traveled around Golok for a short time, and my sister came to Drong Dzong for a period but soon departed. One time I went to Somang and gave some empowerments and oral transmissions for The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse to a few earnest people—for example, Awatota Rotak Kyab and Nyagnyo Lama Zöpa.[ 84 ] I also met with the king and established some religious connections, upon which I returned (to the Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage)."[ 85 ] [182] CHAPTER 9: LIVING AT MAYUL PEMA RITO When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was twenty-six in the Fire Pig year (1827), she and her retinue conducted outer and inner enlightened activities at the Do Dzong Hermitage. The Precious Refuge Protector met them at the Do Dzong Hermitage in Golok, having arrived from Drong Dzong Sarwaha Hermitage. Then, following the ḍākinīs’ prophecy, they all departed Do Dzong Hermitage for Mayul Pema Rito. There they remained for a handful of years, practicing meditation, and benefiting the teachings and beings, as the auspicious connections were efficacious. It was in this same abode that the elder Dodrubchen’s tulku, Sherab Mebar, was born in the Earth Ox year (1829).[ 86 ] Additionally, Rigpe Raltri , the incarnation of Jigme Dechen son of Jigme Lingpa, was also born there in the Iron Tiger year (1830).[ 87 ] In the Tiger year, Do Khyentse traveled throughout Gyalrong. It seems [183] from the time Losal Drölma was twenty-six in the Fire Pig year (1827) until she was thirty in the Iron Hare year (1831), she benefited the teachings and beings while living at the great sacred site of Pema Rito. She additionally took responsibility for the Refuge Protector’s sons and nurtured them. The 175th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 88 ] "When the Pig new year came about, King Tsewang Lhundrub passed into peace due to others' pernicious actions.[ 89 ] I performed a purifying liturgy, prepared his body, and sent him to the eastern realm of Abhirati .[ 90 ] "As Trokyab Nangso Namkha Lhundrub ordered, I went for a while to the great sacred site of Kake’u Senge Yangzong.[ 91 ] I visited its naturally manifested Orgyen [statue] as well as its sacred grounds, where I offered prostrations and circumambulations. I met Nangso Rinpoche and made a religious connection with him.[ 92 ] As he was incredibly delighted, our minds merged as one, and I distinctly realized our future auspicious relationship would continue. "Shortly after, I began my return journey; passing through Drong Dzong, I arrived in Do Dzong, Golok. In Matö county, I made some religious connections with the Akyong clan community and its highest chief.[ 93 ] For about three years, the retinue, my sister, and I lived at Pema Rito, as the previous prophetic certificate had foretold. Everything went splendidly due to the auspicious connections of the spirits, prominent local guardians, and formless beings, in addition to the noble ladies of space and the ḍākinīs. Everything good in this human realm proliferated on account of [such conducive circumstances of] the region, time, companions, and occasion. "According to the Lord Lama’s prophecy, a tulku (Sherab Mebar) was born as a new family heir in the Ox year. Another tulku (Rigpe Raltri) was born into our family in the Tiger year. Intense, turbulent circumstances also occurred during that time, [184] resulting in my sister remaining at our place in Golok. The rest of us, however, voyaged around Gyalrong, and passing through Trokyab, we arrived at the capital of Geshe, as an invitation was extended to us.[ 94 ] There a handful of elemental spirits newly arose, and I tamed them. I also took up the yogic conduct of a madman for the time being. "In the Hare year, I remained in Kake’u for a short time and fulfilled some wishes of Nangso—they were quite minor. I also briefly met Lhase Rinpoche once again since we were connected through our previous aspirations and karma. Then I spent some time in Geshe. At the end of the year, I traveled to various places upon invitation—Chagla and Yutang, to name a couple.[ 95 ] Eventually, when I arrived at Lhagang, where a party welcomed me at the behest of [the mountain deity] Zhagdra Gangkar, I witnessed a multitude of brilliant and outstanding signs.[ 96 ] I also met the two khenpos, the governor, and all the counselors of Dartsedo, with whom I made religious connections.[ 97 ] My sister also came—the auspicious connections and the timing coincided." Concerning the following statement from the autobiography: "Another tulku (Rigpe Raltri) was born into our family in the Tiger year. Intense, turbulent circumstances also occurred during that time, resulting in my sister remaining at our place in Golok. The rest of us, however, voyaged around Gyalrong, […]." If we examine the clause, “resulting in my sister remaining at our place in Golok,” it is most suitable to say that Ḍākkima either continued to live at Pema Rito or, rather, traveled to the seat of Do Dzong Hermitage. [185] CHAPTER 10: LIVING IN YUTANG AND DARTSEDO, MINYAK When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was thirty in the Iron Hare year (1831), according to what was mentioned above, she and the retinue remained either in Pema Rito or in Do Dzong Hermitage. Following this, she traveled to the capital of Dartsedo in Chagla, Minyak. While in the capital, she met with the Precious Refuge Protector and benefited the teachings and beings while living in there for a short period. The 176th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 98 ] "In the Hare year, I remained in Kake’u. …[ 99 ] I also met the two khenpos, the governor, and all the counselors of Dartsedo, with whom I made religious connections.[ 100 ] My sister also came—the auspicious connections and the timing coincided." When she was thirty-one in the Water Dragon year (1832), the Refuge Protector, Ḍākkima, and their retinue traveled from Dartsedo, Minyak, to the Yutang capital, where they celebrated the new year. Do Khyentse established the sādhana class practices of The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse and taught their preliminary practices in addition to others. It was during this period that he and Losal Drölma had luminous, visionary dreams beyond the scope of the imagination. The 176th page of the Refuge Protector’s [186] The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 101 ] "Taking a short leave of absence, I traveled to Yutang and met the king. He also had a teacher-student relationship with the previous Omniscient One. I also met a blessed nirmāṇakāya of Lord Lama, some Sakya disciples, Rikhu Tulku, and some officials.[ 102 ] "After celebrating the new year, the king and the officials, most notably, newly established The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse cycle of teachings out of their pure intentions. So, I bestowed the oral transmission and the instructions of its preliminary practices, in their entirety, to the lamas and monks. "At dawn on the twenty-fifth day of the first month of the Dragon year, I beheld Machik Labdrön before me in a space of rainbow light.[ 103 ] An entourage of five ḍākinīs circled her; yogins and yoginīs appeared like clusters of stars as they danced gracefully about. HŪṂ! and PHAṬ! rumbled like a roar of a thousand dragons […].[ 104 ] That night, my sister also had boundless visions." Then the pair and their entourage departed the capital city of Yutang, and eventually, passing through Chagla’s capital city of Dartsedo, they arrived at Lhagang, Minyak. There they went on pilgrimage and offered prostrations [187] and circumambulations at various representations of body, speech, and mind, in addition to sacred sites. Some of these were the Jowo Rinpoche temple built during the time of the Dharma King Songtsen Gampo and the Siddha stūpa built by an Indian siddha lord of the priest caste.[ 105 ] One day during this period, many marvelous signs occurred when they were circumambulating: Ḍākkima had a vision of Guru Padmasambhava in which he foretold many prophecies, she received the ultimate empowerment of dharmatā, and rainbow light and a sweet fragrance diffused throughout the land.[ 106 ] The 180th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 107 ] "We eventually arrived in Lhagang. As the Jowo (Buddha) statue, built by the Chinese wife Kongjo, possessed immense blessings, I prostrated, presented offerings, and circumambulated for some time.[ 108 ] "One day, while my sister was circumambulating alone, rainbow light suffused the entire area, and an old, bearded man bearing a walking stick led her into the center of the hundred stūpas. 'When you were born as the Chinese wife Kongjo,' he said, 'you had to wait a long time for minister Gar here upon the border of China and Tibet.[ 109 ] This, in turn, resulted in the construction of the life-size Jowo statue that is itself a wish-fulfilling jewel. At that time, a mendicant sage came and gathered the minerals of Barma Changdong Mountain [to construct the religious objects].'[ 110 ] "That is how the old man told the tale of the statue and the exalted Sage stūpa. He also talked about the six mountain ranges [of Kham] and explicitly mentioned that the Minyak mountain range is a most spectacular place on Earth. Moreover, if the range is cherished and does not come to ruin, it will continuously bring benefit. He also spoke of Songtsen Gampo being the exalted Lotus Holder (Avalokiteśvara) in person and the venerable Omniscient One as the incarnation of minister Gar. "Upon the completion of the Jowo temple [188] and the stūpa, boundless amazing signs materialized: three Teachers appeared in the sky to perform the consecration, and divine rain of flowers fell. Also, all the gods in the heavens brimmed with joy as they sang, danced, and played music, incredible in their array, causing light rays to emanate from the circular patch of hair between Jowo’s eyebrows and scatter throughout the land, some striking the gods. The sage, the Chinese wife, and the retinue received blessings in proportion to their fortune. Since the gods were pleased, the sage named it Lhaga Jowo (“Lord of the Joyous Gods”), but the name has changed over time and is known colloquially as Lhagang. The old man recounted this story and spoke of many prophecies concerning her future births. "Pointing his stick at her heart, he cried a forceful HŪṂ! Immediately falling into an unconscious state, she experienced a momentary, visionary rush of dharmatā, thus receiving full empowerment. The old man came to declare: " 'I am Pema Tötrengtsal! My emanations enact beneficial deeds for those in Tibet. The basis of emanation roams through the realms of the three kāyas. The land of the rākṣasas is where one of them turns the wheel of the Dharma. Caring for you in all your lives, I’ve come now for your benefit To dispel hindrances and bestow spiritual attainments upon you. Do not surrender yourself To demons of discursiveness, wrong view, and doubt! Train yourself in a perception that is pure! When the masculine and feminine consorts have perfected the benefit of beings, They will become enlightened in the realms of the three kāyas! Now I must depart to the realm of Beings’ Greatly [189] Blissful Heap To be the chief of the ḍākinīs’ assembly.' "Becoming a mass of light, the old man faded away. "At that time, a mist rolled in, and an excellent scent floated in the air as rainbow clouds amassed above. My sister regained consciousness and proceeded on the circumambulation path, where we met in front of the Sage stūpa. Until that point, the monks and attendants had been searching everywhere, but they were never able to find her. "That night an elderly woman came to me in a dream and instructed: " 'Keeping secret mantra secret, siddhis swiftly come. Secret mantra not kept secret, samayas come undone. Siddhis come to nothing as hindrances abound So keep yourself as silent as a corpse’s mouth.' " Then from Lhangang, they passed through Serchetang and traveled to Ta’u, Minyak.[ 111 ] Then they arrived in the capital city of Geshe, Gyalrong. At that time, Ḍākkima traveled around Golok for a short while, then returned to the territory of the Geshe king. It was in this year that the pair, along with their retinue, established Mahā Kyilung Monastery and a new hermitage in the realm of the Geshe king, where they extensively turned the wheel of the Dharma.[ 112 ] The 183rd page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 113 ] "We returned. In Serchetang I wandered alone, and my mind seemed to do the same. "From the peak of Mount Hepo, A white man on a white horse proclaimed:[ 114 ] 'When the time finally comes For the Mahā Guru’s [190] prophecies And the great being Gesar’s intentions, My land shall possess the auspicious connections For the secret mantra teachings to proliferate. At that appointed time, I shall come for you— So don’t fall under the power of hindrances!' "Having uttered these words, he disappeared. I returned from my walk and reconciled a small quarrel between the villagers around the Ta’u kingdom. Then I headed to the capital of Geshe while my sister left for Golok. When the opportunity presented itself, I conducted some altruistic deeds. That winter, as soon as my sister returned, I instructed on the preliminary channels and winds practices and bestowed the empowerment and reading transmissions for The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse to more than a hundred people at the newly constructed Kyilung Monastery. I also instructed a handful of lamas on the Yeshe Lama ." CHAPTER 11: LIVING IN MAHĀ KYILUNG MONASTERY AND YIKHOK When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was thirty-two in the Water Snake year (1833), she was in retreat at a hermitage at Mahā Kyilung Monastery. After traveling to various places, Golok being one, Do Khyentse went and resided with her at Mahā Kyilung Monastery. The 183rd page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 115 ] "In the Snake year, my sister was in retreat in [191] the newly constructed hermitage while I journeyed around Golok." When she was thirty-three in the Wood Horse year (1834), the pair and their retinue departed Mahā Kyilung Monastery and headed to Yikhok, where they dwelled and benefited the teachings and beings.[ 116 ] That year, Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s father Sönam Pen passed away. The two then traveled through Golok with their retinue as they enacted virtuous deeds on behalf of his father and guided him on the path of liberation. They all subsequently departed for Yikhok. Upon the invitation of Decha Tulku, they moved their encampment to Chakang Decha Tulku’s hermitage, where they benefitted the teachings and residents.[ 117 ] The 183rd page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 118 ] "In the Horse year, we went to Yikhok. I guided my father between this life and the next. My sister and I traveled around Golok for a bit, but as soon as we returned, we went to Decha Gyalse’s newly constructed hermitage as was his wish." [192] CHAPTER 12: LIVING AT ZHAGDRA, PAWANG CAPITAL, AND LA'UTANG MONASTERY When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was thirty-four in the Sheep year (1835), the record of where they lived is not evident in the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī. But in the autobiography, it is apparent that they lived at Chakang Decha Tulku’s hermitage in the Wood Horse year (1834) and moved the encampment from Decha Gyalse’s hermitage to Zhagdra, Minyak, in the Fire Monkey year (1836).[ 119 ] It is, therefore, unmistakable that in the Wood Sheep year (1835), she helped the teachings and residents in such places as Chakang Decha. When she was thirty-five in the Fire Monkey year (1836), the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, along with their retinue, moved their camp from Decha Gyalse’s hermitage to Zhagdra, Minyak, as prophesized by the ḍākinīs. This was where the Precious Refuge Protector Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje manifested as the victorious Longchenpa in person. To the ordinary people of the area, he bestowed the empowerment and instructions for The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse. But to seven [193] fortunate disciples, Losal Drölma most notably, and to a non-human retinue of over ten thousand, Do Khyentse extensively granted the empowerment and instructions for the Dzogchen Khandrö Yangtik Chenmo.[ 120 ] At that time, Vajrayoginī and Ekajaṭā possessed Ḍākkima and performed unexcelled enlightened activities—namely, teaching the ritual details for empowerment and instruction, correcting the wrong views held by the retinue, and establishing all on the path of faith and pure perception. The 184th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 121 ] "Again, our camp left Decha and set out to Mount Zhagdra, according to the ḍākinī’s prophecy. My sister and all in the camp dwelled in a secluded place in the woods in front of this place of power, while my assistant Ösal Nyingpo and I went in search of a retreat cave at the base of the mountain.[ 122 ] …[ 123 ] All of us, teacher and retinue, inhabited the same isolated place in the forest from before. For seven days on end, we had a tantric feast, offered our bodies as food, offered torma to the Dharma protectors, and made smoke offerings to the eight classes of non-human beings. Moreover, we thoroughly pleased the heroes and ḍākinīs by [establishing] numerous sorts of auspicious connections. "During this time in which we incessantly strove day and night, four prominent worldly deities named Dorje gathered and prayed for experiential visions to arise. As my prayers and my sister’s intentions aligned, the auspicious connections were just right. Gyalwang [194] Longchen Rabjam, Vimalamitra’s emanation in human form, dissolved deeply into the center of my indestructible heart, opening the door to the maturing empowerment and liberating instructions of the Dzogchen Khandrö Yangtik Chenmo. I established seven fortunate disciples and tens of thousands of non-human beings on the path that is utterly pure. I also gave the general public the extensive and profound maturing empowerment and liberating instructions of The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse. "When I was giving the maturing empowerment and liberating instructions of the Yangtik Chenmo, whenever there was the need for Vajrayoginī or Ekajaṭā, my sister’s essence manifested these deities’ awareness display. She taught the activities of the maṇḍala clearly, in addition to the ritual details arranged in the instruction manual and the supportive teachings. Doubts and negative concepts held by those in the retinue she swept away and placed all upon the path of devotion, pure vision, and perseverance." That year, the Queen Mother of the Pawang king invited the Refuge Protector, Ḍākkima, and the retinue to the capital of Pawang, Gyalrong, where they remained for three days.[ 124 ] Then, for three weeks, they dwelled in the Menpa hermitage and the Sage cave above the hermitage, located on the mountain in front of the royal residence.[ 125 ] At that time, Losal Drölma had a vision of her main lama, Dodrubchen, who prophesized that the time had come for her to carry out altruistic deeds. Later, they continued to Zhagdra, and Ḍākkima [195] went into a retreat for the Dharma cycles of the Enlightened Heart-Essence (Tugtik) by the bank of Yumtso Lake.[ 126 ] The Precious Refuge Protector traveled to such places as Palri Monastery in Minyak.[ 127 ] After finishing her retreat, she went to La’utang Monastery in Minyak and reunited with Do Khyentse.[ 128 ] Then he went to Palri Monastery with his retinue, where he lived for a while, effectively engaging in the practice of the Lotus King. A welcoming party of the Chagla king in Minyak arrived, and the pair struck the road to Dartsedo, the Chagla capital, with their retinue. Having concluded their council with the king and his court, they proceeded to the capital of Yutang. At that time, Ḍākkima came down with a minor illness. Nevertheless, she became victorious in her battle against [the illness-inducing] hordes because of the resolve of the motherly ḍākinīs, and other factors. After recovering, Losal Drölma journeyed to Palri Monastery but immediately moved the encampment to La’utang Monastery. Do Khyentse also later departed for that same monastery. That winter, she continued her training. The 191st page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 129 ] "At that time, the Queen Mother of the Pawang king came to the hot springs by Zhagdra for a visit. Since she gave us everything we needed, my sister and I set out for Gyalmo Mudo [in Gyalrong] as the timing was right.[ 130 ] Having visited the capital for about three days, we made Menpa Hermitage our residence, located on the mountainside facing the city. My sister and I, along with a few attendants, five of us in all, lodged [196] there for about three weeks in the Sage cave situated at the mountain’s peak. …[ 131 ] There, my sister had a vision of Lama [Dodrubchen], who prophesized that the time had come for her to benefit others. We descended back to the Menpa hermitage and conducted a kīla practice for our personal benefit. Then when the Queen Mother of the Pawang king had also arrived, we offered a few healing ceremonies and a long-life empowerment. "We set off on the path and arrived at our place at Zhagdra. My sister, with three or four attendants, went into retreat for a while at a hermitage near Yumtso Lake at Zhagdra. Meanwhile, Chagla Khen Rinpoche, along with the king, mother, and heir, insisted that I stay at one of their comfortable monasteries. As I could not turn down their request and had no choice but to stay for a while, I went to Palri Monastery, the seat of the treasure revealer Nyida Nyingpo, along with my camp, where I stayed for a period.[ 132 ] "Then I left for La’utang Monastery as I had received an insistent invitation from its colleges, whose patrons earnestly requested that I reside there. Also, some non-human beings stated that there were auspicious connections for me to live there for a few years. So, I decided to move my camp to La’utang again, and my sister joined me there after concluding her retreat. Then, we went once to Palri Monastery, where I effectively carried out an intensive practice of the Lotus King. "Since then, I began to benefit others with my purest intentions. My sister [197] and I traveled to Dartsedo as a welcoming party from the Chagla king had arrived. Having met with the king and his officials, and following the celebrations, we set off for a brief visit to fulfill the wishes of the Yutang king. "After this, I went to Hor Drago to reconcile some regional disputes as requested by the Chinese.[ 133 ] Because of the protectors’ intense clinging, I experienced a severe illness. Still, Ekajaṭā’s enlightened activities freed me from this obstacle. My sister also came down with a slight illness and departed Yutang. As soon as she arrived at Palri Monastery, she set up camp at La’utang upon the encouragement of non-human beings, where I also later came. For a month that winter, I instructed on the preliminary practices to the monastery’s college." When she was thirty-six in the Fire Bird year (1837), the Refuge Protector, Ḍākkima, and their retinue left La’utang, Minyak, and proceeded to Golok to benefit the teachings and residents. It was at this time that the kings of Chagla and Geshe sent a welcoming party for her. Subsequently, she departed to Golok, eventually traveling to the capital cities of Geshe and Chagla. After satisfying the wishes of the kings and their entourages, she took residence at La’utang Monastery. It was in this year that Ḍākkima became gravely ill due to others’ violations of samayas. The Refuge Protector, however, was able to avert this with his enlightened activities. The 195th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 134 ] [198] "When the Bird new year came about, my sister and I went on a brief journey since we were invited to Golok. My sister was asked by Chagla and Geshe, so she traveled back down as she had done before. …[ 135 ] Because a couple of people who broke their samayas came to our camp, my sister was struck with illness. I went to her quickly when I was told of her condition. Upon my arrival, I carried out auspicious skillful methods to alleviate the agitation of the heroes and ḍākinīs. Her condition improved as if it were a result of this. Accordingly, we returned to the old hermitage from before, the one in the secluded area of Zhagdra. I deciphered the treasure cycles of the Pema Khandrö Tugtik, and some other supplementary parts came to me.[ 136 ] I also made spiritual connections with about seven disciples that were suitable to each’s fortune. Nevertheless, the auspicious connections were minuscule because a few people did not uphold their samayas. Later we returned to La’utang Monastery." CHAPTER 13: LIVING AT MAHĀ KYILUNG MONASTERY, YIKHOK, MINYAK, AND OTHER PLACES When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was thirty-seven in the Earth Dog year (1838), as requested by the king of Geshe, Gyalrong, the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, [199] along with their retinue, went to Mahā Kyilung Monastery. There she undertook a retreat at the monastery’s hermitage. The 196th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 137 ] "When the Earth Dog new year came about, we arrived at Kyilung Monastery following the wishes of the Geshe king. My sister went into a retreat at the hermitage, and I traveled to the capital of Mutri as the Dharma King of Trokyab wished."[ 138 ] When she was forty-one in the Water Tiger year (1842), Ḍākkima primarily resided at Mahā Kyilung Monastery. It was at this time that family heir Sherab Mebar and her mother Tsewang Men both passed away, respectively. After completing the funeral for Sherab Mebar, Ḍākkima returned to her retreat at the solitary hermitage of Mahā Kyilung. Upon completion of the retreat, she visited Minyak, but only briefly. Later, having reunited with the Refuge Protector at Lhagang, Minyak, she returned to Mahā Kyilung Monastery. Since her mother passed away that winter, she remained there and conducted the funeral and other duties. The 199th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 139 ] "When the Tiger new year came about, the family heir, nirmāṇakāya [Sherab Mebar], was struck by illnesses due to polluted and unclean samaya. Because of the powerful karmic imprints and sentient beings’ collective merit of that period, it was extremely difficult to have two of my [200] unmistaken heirs serve in the human realm. First, this supreme being was in my family lineage. Second, everyone was amazed by him. Third, it was a bit too early to present his qualities. These reasons, along with the corruption of the auspicious connections, brought about his passing. "Having performed an elaborate funeral on his behalf, my sister went into retreat at her residence while I aimlessly wandered through Dartsedo, Yutang, and other places. At some point, we reunited in Lhagang. During this period, if the auspicious connections had continued at Zhagdra, there would have been propitiousness, but we accidentally missed it. My sister went to her own place at Kyilung, and I went to Dartsedo, where I had a short audience with Changkya and fulfilled some of the wishes of Chagla before leaving for Kyilung.[ 140 ] Upon my arrival, my benevolent mother had just gone to Sukhāvatī, inseparably intertwined with Ḍākinī Shaza Khamoche. We conducted the cremation and virtuous rituals." According to the content of the Refuge Protector’s autobiography, from the Earth Dog year to the Water Tiger year, a period of five years, Ḍākkima was primarily residing at Mahā Kyilung Monastery to lead the monastery, as well as undertake retreat. When she was forty-two in the Water Rabbit year (1843), it appears that Ḍākkima and [201] her camp primarily remained in Yikhok. The 200th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 141 ] "When the Rabbit new year came about, I did some work to benefit the inhabitants in the lower geographical areas. I remained until the end of the year and completed beneficial activities. For various reasons, including my sister being a little under the weather, at the beginning of the Dragon year, I ventured up to Yikhok. My sister slightly recovered from her illness because of medical and other treatments." This demonstrates that the Refuge Protector accomplished some beneficial activities for the residents of the lower geographical areas, Yikhok and Minyak, and then returned to Golok to complete other such deeds. He then proceeded from Golok to their camp in Yikhok at the beginning of Dragon year on account of Ḍākkima’s illness. Besides this, his son, Sherab Mebar, and his mother passed away. Additionally, at this time, the Refuge Protector had to banish Rigpe Raltri from the camp owing to the appearance of an obstacle threatening Raltri’s life. Therefore, they experienced unfortunate circumstances. This appears to have resulted in the Refuge Protector, Ḍākkima, and their retinue departing Kyilung Monastery to live in Yikhok. When she was forty-three in the Wood Dragon year (1844), although Do Khyentse considered accomplishing useful deeds in the upper geographical regions, Derge and Dzachukha for example, following the prophecies of [202] deities and lamas, he and Losal Drölma remained in Yikhok and helped the residents. The 200th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 142 ] "At the beginning of the Dragon year, I ventured up to Yikhok. My sister slightly recovered from her illness because of medical and other treatments, so we thought of heading to the upper geographical areas. But as soon as we embarked, we received prophecies from lamas and discouragement from the eight classes of gods and demons, saying that it was not the time to go there, not until we completed our helpful deeds in the lower geographical areas. So, we made our decision in keeping with such conditions." When she was forty-four in the Fire Snake year (1845), the Refuge Protector departed to the sacred land of Kham Tsāriṭa Nyenpo Yutse in Golok. Ḍākkima remained in Yikhok and carried out worthwhile acts. He then returned to their camp in Yikhok from Golok. Then both of them, along with their retinue, moved the encampment from Yikhok to La’utang Monastery in Minyak, where he went to various places, including the capitals of Chagla and Yutang. Upon completing his visits, he returned and lived at La’utang. The 200th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 143 ] "When the Snake new year came about, I passed through Sertang and visited the precious reincarnation [the Second Dodrubchen, Jigme Puntsok Jungne,] at Yarlung Pemakö, the seat of my Lord Lama.[ 144 ] [203] I conferred upon him the empowerment, transmission, and instruction for The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse. Then I eventually made my way to Nyenpo Yutse. …[ 145 ] I paid a brief visit to the seat of my Lord Lama and then ventured to our camp in Yikhok. There I met a group sent from Chagla that carried an insistent command for me to come down there, so I departed from Yikhok. "In Debkhok, I found the reincarnation of a secret yogi who was a student of the previous Omniscient One in Horpa Sönam’s family, a minister of Geshe. There were even auspicious signs that I would be serving him again. Then, together with an escort from Zhagdra, our camp settled in La’utang Monastery. Delight filled the monastic community and local residents there on account of my sister’s recovery and our return since we were unable to proceed to the upper geographical areas." That year the Refuge Protector recognized that the emanation of the family heir, Sherab Mebar, entered a womb in Yutang. The 210th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 146 ] "The emanation of the family heir, who had passed away, entered a womb in Yutang. As my sister and I distinctly beheld a luminous perception [of the child] when we were previously in Yikhok, we paid a short visit to Yutang. Like our vision, we heard the child chanting OṂ VĀKYEDAṂ NĀMAḤ [204] from the womb.[ 147 ] So, I recognized him since the time he was in the womb and earnestly told King Ngagchang Dampa that since the child is our reincarnation, I want him to recognize the boy as soon as he is born and bring him to us."[ 148 ] When she was forty-four in the Fire Horse year (1846), the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima arrived in Zhagdra from La’utang with their retinue. It was here that Do Khyentse codified the space-like mind treasures, including the teaching cycle of The Formless Ḍākinīs, The Exceedingly Secret, Enlightened Heart-Essence of the Ḍākinī, and other such golden-letter teachings. Additionally, Losal Drölma transformed into Vajravārāhī in the flesh and conveyed the symbolic scripts, an assistance that was unsurpassable. Ḍākkima then entered a retreat for the approach recitations of the mind treasures. As a sign of accomplishment, there were various marvelous occurrences as the earth quaked and the meditation cave blazed with fire. That year, she composed Truthful Words for the Sage’s Long Life on behalf of Do Khyentse.[ 149 ] On account of her resolve, even his most dangerous obstacles were averted. The 211th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 150 ] "[Because a few disciples did not abide by their vows and a few men and women contradicted the instructions, leading to various disturbances], there was a slight rift in the [revelation of] the Pema Khandro’s cycle of teachings, and the heroes and ḍākinīs became a bit agitated. Consequently, the old treasure teachings dissipated into the expansive space [205] of Pāṇḍaravāsinī. "The blessings of Vajravārāhī, the basis of emanation, descended anew into my tulku sister, opening the door to ascertaining the teaching cycle of The Formless Ḍākinīs, The Exceedingly Secret, Enlightened Heart-Essence of the Ḍākinī. The teaching cycle of The Natural Liberation of Grasping transformed adversity into favor, misfortune into the path, and hindrances into siddhis, making the circumstances conducive to deciphering the golden letters [of the mind treasure]. Those upholding their vows attentively created auspicious connections, an immeasurable variety, throughout the day and night and began to assist in decrypting the signs [of the mind treasure]. My student Rigpe Yeshe acted as our scribe.[ 151 ] "It was at this time that the power of my past transgressions generated dangerous obstacles to my life, causing significant deterioration in my physical health. Numerous ḍākinīs invited me [to depart this world]. I felt as if a great many hosts of the haughty, worldly local deities were seeing me off. Yet, my great sister’s courage of pristine intention and the strength and skill of the heroes and ḍākinīs of Kham Tsāriṭa, amongst others, …[ 152 ] dispelled the extreme obstacles to my life. All demonic emanations were also banished from our maṇḍala. "Having cared for those maintaining their vows, we left for Zhagdra, an extremely isolated place. Four vow holders named Dorje became possessed, and day and night, they carefully crafted various auspicious connections using tangible and intangible means. [206] Wisdom ḍākinīs, but most importantly my sister, also manifested as awareness displays. To my very own eyes, they showed their genuine forms as they supervised the deciphering [of the treasure]. While the protectors guarded the inner and outer borders, we decoded the golden letters. "Then, when my great sister was practicing the approach and accomplishment of the meditational deity to solidify the treasure, there were many natural signs: the earth shook, mountains wailed, rivers and wind bore the natural sound of mantra, and the meditation hut roared in flames. There were also countless signs of extraordinary accomplishment. She journeyed to the Realm of the Thirty following this, and in the realm where flesh-eating ḍākinīs roam, she overpowered them with her splendor and bound them under oath. Following her retreat, my sister came to me, but she soon returned to her secluded practice."[ 153 ] When she was forty-six in the Fire Sheep year (1847), the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima invited the family heir Sherab Mebar’s reincarnation, Do Drimé Drakpa, who was born at the Yutang minister Pema’s house, to the encampment, and held an enthronement ceremony at La’utang Monastery.[ 154 ] Do Khyentse dwelled at La’utang Monastery for some time with his retinue while he gave instructions on the golden-letter teachings. Since the family heir Raltri was heading to Lhasa, Do Khyentse and Losal Drölma went to Zhagdra and made offerings of gratitude, [207] including smoke offerings, as protective rituals on Raltri’s behalf. Then they returned to the encampment at La’utang. During the winter, they both journeyed to the hermitage in Zhagdra, where she once again went into a retreat of approach and accomplishment. The 214th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 155 ] "When the Sheep year came …[ 156 ] [Drimé Drakpa], the nirmāṇakāya reincarnation of my son, also came from Yutang. He was enthroned at La’utang, and the signs of virtue were superb. He spoke of many stories as he recollected his former life. He also recognized his aunt and other monks from the past, as well as volumes of [personal] scriptures and accoutrements. Moreover, as in his past life, he did not eat meat, which made all his previous acquaintances believe in him. "At that time, I opened the door to the golden-letter treasures to some of the faithful. As soon as the Dharma activities were completed, Raltri, who holds my family name, and the Yutang king with his entourage set out for Lhasa. My sister and I went to Zhagdra, made some offerings of gratitude, and came back to our place. I carried out some altruistic and opportune deeds, such as the reconciliation between Geshe and Chagla people, while my sister went into retreat during the winter. I also settled into practice a bit." When she was forty-seven in the Earth Monkey year (1848), the Refuge Protector [208] had to go [reconcile] the war between Nyagrong and Chagla. Ḍākkima was averse to this, remarking, “I disagree with you listening to the Chinese and Chagla. But if you think it is a situation you can benefit, then go do it.” Since she said this while living at Zhagdra, it is apparent that she was, for the most part, there that year in retreat. When she was forty-eight in the Earth Bird year (1849), the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, with their retinue, made the Garnang Jogang hermitage north of Zhagdra their main seat, living there for a while.[ 157 ] Today we can find the remaining walls of the Refuge Protector’s room, Ḍākkima’s room, and four temples of various sizes, with very well-crafted walls and roofs made of aga.[ 158 ] The place is highly isolated, with a surrounding environment so enchantingly beautiful that it is as if it is in competition with the gardens in the god realm. Besides being a pivotal seat of the pair, Gyalse Rigpe Raltri and Do Drimé Drakpa also lived in this sacred dwelling for quite some time. The Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima then proceeded to Senge Monastery in Minyak with their retinue and extensively turned the wheel of the [209] Dharma to humans and non-humans alike.[ 159 ] The auspicious connections were perfectly set in place at that time. As far as the monastery is concerned, it was initially founded by the victor Karma Pagshi.[ 160 ] At some point, however, the wicked Mongol army destroyed all the Kagyu monasteries in Minyak. The sundered remains of the monastery were the only things left when the pair arrived with their retinue. Nevertheless, they made it their seat and resided there for over a year. The 221st page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 161 ] "At the newly constructed Jogang hermitage, adjacent to Zhagdra, my sister and I endeavored in practice for a while, accompanied by some who maintained their oaths. The prominent local guardians of Zhagdra came to dissuade us, and the auspicious connections of the Monkey year fell under the power of others. Consequently, remaining there became impossible; there was nothing we could do but go to the Senge mountain to avoid making a mess of lower Minyak’s auspicious connections. "While there, I turned the wheel of the Dharma concerning the Enlightened Heart-Essence of the Vidyādhara to formless beings, such as Gangkar the mountain deity, and made sure the auspicious connections would perpetuate into the future. Also, I ascertained the three Enlightened Heart-Essences and established excellent auspicious connections for averting the obstacles to my and my sister’s lives. "I also heard about the peaceful passing of Chagla Khenchen Rinpoche during this period, so we made some commemoration offerings and saw him off to the realm of [210] the vidyādharas. As the inviting party had arrived, I went with them to the Trokyab capital of Mutri while my sister performed accomplishment practices at our residence." “Our residence” can mean many places, such as Mahā Kyilung Monastery. But here, it refers explicitly to Senge Mountain. This is because when the Refuge Protector developed arthritis while in Yikhok, Ḍākki Losal Drölma and others saw this through their clairvoyance and headed there. The 226th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 162 ] "From Senge Mountain, my sister and two tulkus came to La’utang as if they possessed the power to perceive such hidden phenomena. At that same time, they heard of my illness and went to Yikhok, and we met in Tsachukha." When she was forty-nine in the Iron Dog year (1850), Ḍākkima, along with a retinue, came to depart Senge Monastery in Minyak for Yikhok, passing through La’utang. The Refuge Protector reunited with her and the retinue there. They resided at Yikhok for a while as they carried out some long-life rites on behalf of the Refuge Protector. During autumn, the entire group traveled to Shar Drongkhok from Yikhok, where they set up the camp in a remote location.[ 163 ] There, Do Khyentse gave maturation instructions for the preliminary practices of the channels [211] and energies to those gathered from various locales. The 226th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: "From Senge Mountain, my sister and two tulkus came to La’utang as if they possessed the power to perceive such hidden phenomena. At that same time, they heard of my illness and came up to Yikhok, and we met up in Tsachukha. For a short while, we made camp at whatever isolated areas in Yikhok there were while we accomplished the ḍākinīs’ prophecies. That autumn, we went to a hermitage in Shar Drong, where I gave a handful of empowerments and transmissions, as well as maturation instructions for the preliminary practices of the channels and energies to people gathered from distant places, Tashi Gelek from Derge being one of them in attendance." CHAPTER 14: LIVING IN GYALMO TSAWARONG When Ḍākki Losal Drölma was fifty in the Iron Pig year (1851), the Refuge Protector, Ḍākkima, and their retinue headed to Khogta Sengtsang Monastery from Shar Drong, where they set up camp for a short while.[ 164 ] With some of their attendants, the pair went to Palek and the new capital of the Gyalrong Trokyab king.[ 165 ] They reunited with all the attendants and masters, including the Dharma King Tsewang Namkha and [Do Khyentse’s] daughter Khaying Drölma.[ 166 ] They conducted [212] long-life rites for the sake of the king and his retinue. From Sengtsang Monastery, the camp also traveled to Puntsok Dzong, the old capital of the Trokyab king. Losal Drölma briefly stayed at camps and other places. The 226th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 167 ] "We set off when the Pig year came, but the camp remained at Sengtsang Monastery. My sister and I went to the capital of Mutri as the Trokyab king had ordered. Having a private audience with the king and my daughter, we recited some long-life prayers. Even though we persistently asked permission to travel to the upper geographical regions, not only was it not granted, but he insisted that we not go. So, there was nothing for us to do in that regard. "Then, following a brief pilgrimage to Tsotor, a welcoming party from Derge accompanied us on our return home.[ 168 ] Since we received an escort from Puntsok Dzong, we moved our camp there from Sengtsang Monastery. At Puntsok Dzong, we met with the Queen Mother, princess, and others and recited some long-life prayers. My sister briefly stayed at Namgyalteng Monastery.[ 169 ] But I went to the Somang kingdom since an escort came bearing an insistent order." When she was fifty-one in the Water Rat year (1852), Ḍākkima and her camp went to the Somang capital of Tsetenling upon the invitation of the Gyalrong Somang king.[ 170 ] After meeting with the king and his attendants, she went to his main monastery of Kachok and watched the excellent lama dance held on the [213] tenth day.[ 171 ] Having presented offerings, prostrations, and circumambulations to the monastery’s three religious objects, she resided there and benefited the teachings and residents. Tsetenling was one of the primary seats of the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima. But since it was demolished during the Cultural Revolution, apart from a smoke-offering chiminea, its ruins cannot be found. The 223rd page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 172 ] "My daughter caught an illness that was difficult to cure with medicine and healing rituals. She did, however, live for a while. During that time, my sister and her camp were invited to Somang to meet with the Queen Mother. With camp set up in the capital of Tsetenling, she completed all the necessary annual rituals in full: feast fulfillments, prayer offerings to the protectors, and so on." When she was fifty-two in the Water Ox year (1853), upon the invitation of the Trokyab king, the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, along with their retinue, journeyed to Palek, the capital of Trokyab. They performed healing rituals for [Do Khyentse’s] daughter Khaying Drölma and gave council during their stay. Then from there, they returned to the camp at Tsetenling. Once again, the Trokyab king extended another invitation, and Losal Drölma went to the capital of Mutri. She advised Khaying Drölma and performed [214] healing rituals, fulfilling Khaying Drölma’s wishes. Then she returned and resided at Tsetenling. The 233rd page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 173 ] "When the Ox new year came about, there was an invitation to Ka Ke’utsang, so I also went there.[ 174 ] As it seemed that my daughter would only live for a handful of months, my sister remained there for a few days while I headed for Somang. A small group came from Yutang, my niece being the most notable among them, but they returned home after I had fulfilled their wishes. "At the capital, I gave teachings on the preliminaries for over a month to about a hundred people, particularly the Queen Mother. After staying at Tsetenling, my sister also came to the king’s court, as the Trokyab king commanded, and completely fulfilled the wishes of my daughter. She also performed a few long-life rituals before returning to settle in Tsetenling." When she was fifty-three in the Wood Tiger year (1854), Ḍākkima arrived from Tsetenling at Mutri Palek, the capital of Trokyab. Since Khaying Drölma’s illness was quite severe, Ḍākkima remained, performing healing rituals and everything that was needed. On the fifteenth day of the second month of that year, Khaying Drölma’s rūpakāya dissolved into the dharmadhātu. The Refuge Proctor, his retinue, [215] and many other lamas and tulkus from various monasteries performed an extensive funeral service at the Palek capital. Losal Drölma stayed there from the third day until the completion of the imprinted holy objects (sāccha).[ 175 ] It was at this time that, in the vision of her dream, Ḍākkima saw that Khaying Drölma departed to the vidyādhara’s pure land of the Glorious Mountain (Zangdok Palri). Then, she returned to Tsetenling, passing through Ka Ke’utsang, where Do Khyentse joined her following his daughter’s funeral service. Then, at the seat of Tsetenling, the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima accumulated virtuous deeds, vast in number, as part of the funeral service for his daughter. Losal Drölma was taken ill during this period, but it was warded off through medicine and healing rituals. That year Do Khyentse reached a decisive insight into the symbolic signs of the ḍākinīs for an extensive amount of mind treasures. Additionally, Ḍākkima had visions of the wisdom ḍākinī, from whom she received many prophecies. Since she and others assisted the Refuge Protector in deciphering the ḍākinī’s signs, all the enlightened activities were highly successful. Moreover, at that seat, Do Khyentse bestowed extensive instructions on the golden-letter [teachings] and preliminaries to Losal Drölma and others, resulting in many people being introduced to realization. The 234th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 176 ] "When the Wood Tiger new year came about, my sister traveled there [216] to assist the king in differing ways and to fulfill the wishes of my daughter. I departed for Somang for a short while as the king was ill." Also, the 236th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 177 ] "My sister also dreamed that my daughter was escorted to the door of the Glorious Mountain. Then, my sister and I proceeded to the Palek capital along with others, Sawang Rinpoche being the most notable among the group. We prayed extensively and hoisted endless prayer flags on the forty-ninth day of my daughter’s death. Focusing on our collective karma, we practiced The Peaceful and Wrathful Deities Who Purify the Lower Realms for seven days.[ 178 ] We carried out an effective long-life practice for Sawang Rinpoche and requested him to remain with us. "As soon as the bone purification ceremony was completed, my sister went to Tsetenling once again, passing through Ka Ke’utsang.[ 179 ] However, I remained for a while to accomplish the king’s wishes." Also, the 236th page of The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 180 ] "We then arrived at Tsetenling. To put my sister’s mind at ease, we focused on my daughter’s collective karma as hundreds of saṅghas performed peaceful and wrathful purification rituals. In the monasteries, they conducted some fasting practices with breaks in between their rituals. They dedicated all their virtue to the attainment of enlightenment. My sister was a little unwell at that time; she had some issues with her feet but recovered [217] on account of medicine, the long-life feast ritual, fire offerings, and the like." Also, the 237th page of The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 181 ] "We finished all that needed to be accomplished at Tsetenling. As soon as the tenth-day ceremonies were finished at Somang Kachok Monastery, we conducted a few long-life rituals at the capital and resided at Tsetenling for a period.[ 182 ] There we arranged appropriate and suitable auspicious connections and deciphered the ḍākinī’s symbolic scripts. I taught on the golden-letter [teachings] to seven samaya holders, of which my sister was foremost. Furthermore, I also instructed on the energies and channels for The Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse to some people, although for the majority, I taught the preliminaries. "Treasure owners and non-human spirits, form and formless beings, who take delight in virtue, also enthusiastically gathered. The Teacher also unraveled the meaning of the golden-letter [teachings] in accordance with the inclination of humans and non-human beings. Also, the congregation of heroes and ḍākinīs took place day and night. But due to people’s various attitudes and conduct, samaya was in short supply; however, self-condemnation, high hopes for signs of accomplishment, and arrogance were plentiful, bringing us to the brink of disaster. It was Ḍākkima’s bravery that carried us to victory over these demons. "Due to the Teacher’s blessings, the wisdom ḍākinī’s emanation seed also entered the womb. [This was to be Somang Chogtrul, the emanation of Khaying Drölma.][ 183 ] It was prophesied that, amongst the meritorious disciples, the emanation would receive the opportunity to be the lineage holder of the Enlightened Heart-Essence. During that time, at dawn, a yoginī, who wore the six bone ornaments and held khaṭvāṅga and bāṇḍha in her hands, pointed the trident at my sister’s heart and said: " 'Kye ho! Primordial wisdom—free of the duality of mind and appearances, Essentially pure, spontaneously vast, and naturally liberated, Cannot be expressed by words nor examples. It’s all-pervading, utter vastness—EMAHO! If you fathom the meaning of the sole path, Traversed by the victors of three times: past, present, and future, You will capture the capital of the dharmakāya. Birth and death are mere labels. There is no traversing to “pure lands.” Pure and impure are the mind’s magical displays— They come about from losing control over the five obscuring poisons. But by reaching a definitive conclusion That hatred is luminous emptiness, desire is bliss emptiness, Delusion is awareness-emptiness, pride is baseless, And jealousy is utter self-liberation, You realize that the five poisons are the essence of the five primordial wisdoms! The immutable view seizes dharmakāya capital. The meditation perfects the saṃbhogakāya’s expressive power. The conduct, the nirmāṇakāya’s manifesting power, Accomplishes altruism, utilizing skillful means and compassion! Within the body of flesh and blood, created by vulgar mental impressions, Is the All-Creating King—the youthful vase body. When you come to see the immutable, spontaneous Great Perfection, You will control the expressive energy of the primordial wisdom ḍākinī’s reflexive awareness And, with the appropriate methods, accomplish the welfare of beings. The benefit of beings will, thereby, be endless! Bear in mind the meaning of every statement [219] In Śrīsiṃha’s great prophetic certificate! From the Iron year of the Dancing Bodhisattva, The time of the ripening fruition has come. Hence, with the emanation and basis of emanation, I have merged inseparably And shall establish all outcomes of the spontaneously accomplished two benefits Into the state of complete Buddhahood.' "After saying that, she disappeared. Then those holders of samaya increasingly endeavored in the instructions and purifications day and night. Some of them were struck by blessings and came to their own recognition. My supreme sister and her samaya-keeping attendants also intensively and diligently endeavored, day and night, in various auspicious connections to revise the symbolic scripts, following the prophecies of the lamas, deities, and ḍākinīs. The excellent path was successfully accomplished." When she was fifty-four in the Iron Rabbit year (1855), Ḍākkima was at the monastic seat of Tsetenling while bringing benefit to the teachings and beings. Her disciple Rigzin Paljor was sent to Lhasa for the purposes of renovating the knowledge-holder Jigme Lingpa’s monastic seat of Tseringjong, and for other reasons. The Refuge Protector went to Samdrub Dzong in Palek, the capital of the Trokyab king, and other places.[ 184 ] Following this journey, he returned to the monastic seat of Tsetenling. At the capital of Tsetenling, the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima carried out such rituals as praying for the long life of the Somang king. [220] Then they departed Tsetenling for Kachok Monastery, the Somang king’s main object of veneration. At that time, being invited by the king of Trokyab, Losal Drölma went to Samdrub Dzong in Palek for a while, where she brought benefit to the teachings and beings. Then she continued to Ka Ke’utsang. It was at this time that Ḍākkima developed a throat illness stemming from polluted samaya in addition to unclean food. Do Khyentse also went there and prayed for her long life. After recovering from the illness, the pair, along with their retinue, eventually departed Ka Ke’utsang and went to Kachok Monastery, where she entered retreat. The 244th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 185 ] "My sister dispatched her student Rigzin Paljor to Lhasa to renovate the seat of the previous Omniscient One Jigme Lingpa, and for other purposes." Also, the 246th page states:[ 186 ] "My sister was also at the Sama capital with other relatives, where we reunited. The two of us siblings recited some long-life prayers. …[ 187 ] As the escort from Trokyab arrived, my sister went there once again." Also, the 257th page states:[ 188 ] "I had heard that my sister developed a sore throat due to defiled samaya and unclean food, so I also traveled to [221] Ka Ke’utsang, where I conducted some rituals to purify such defilements and resolve conflict.[ 189 ] From this, and also on account of my sister’s strong will to benefit the teachings and beings, her illness improved ever so slightly. That was when I went to the Palek capital for a brief visit. But following this, with permission from Sawang Rinpoche, we took the path to the capital of Sama Khar from Ka Ke’utsang.[ 190 ] "After our audience, [Sawang Rinpoche] settled at his own monastery, the Kachok monastery. There, following our tradition, we amassed auspicious connections and conducted the methods that please the heroes and ḍākinīs. As soon as I completed last year’s maturation instructions of The Natural Liberation of Grasping, which were left unfinished, giving them to seven students, who were also attending the master, we sent three people to three different haunted areas. There were others who remained in their own residences, entering retreat on the practice of Severance (chöd). My sister also undertook a retreat. As soon as I completed all the necessary rites of service at the capital, I went on a one-month retreat with Sawang Rinpoche and offered him experiential instructions afterwards." When she was fifty-five in the Fire Dragon year (1856), the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, with their retinue, stayed at the seat of Kachok Monastery. There they made various prayers and the prescribed offerings. It was during this time that Losal Drölma received numerous prophecies from lamas and ḍākinīs and beheld them in visions. Additionally, supplications from the faithful people averted any life-threatening obstacles she had. Then, the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, with their retinue, departed Kachok Monastery [222] and headed to Trochu, Gyalrong.[ 191 ] While there, not only did Losal Drölma extend the patron Tārodrung’s life for three months, but she also planted the seed of bodhicitta in his mind-stream.[ 192 ] Moreover, by establishing an extensive spiritual connection with faithful locals, conducting funerary rites, and binding both gods and demons under oath, she carried out various activities for the sake of the teachings and beings. Following this, they traveled to the main seat of Vairocana, Trochu Dechen Monastery.[ 193 ] Since she previously bound Awo Tabshe and other local deities of the area, they proffered their vital-heart mantras and conducted enlightened activities upon her command, thus, ultimately fulfilling the wishes of the faithful people in accordance with their needs.[ 194 ] Following this, they returned to Kachok Monastery for the Great Summer Tenth-Day Ceremony, and for other services. Then once again, the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, with their retinue, proceeded to return to Trochu, and it was during this time that the patron Tārodrung died. Losal Drölma then took her retinue to Derge, Kham, where they managed religious ceremonies for the king, prince, and servants at the Lhundrubteng capital. At that time, at the exhortation of Ḍākkima, Do Khyentse deciphered [223] a few treasure teachings. The 247th page of the Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 195 ] "When the Fire Dragon year came about, and after completing the prescribed offerings and rituals that generate joy, I remained in a natural samādhi, and in a dream, there appeared a lama with heruka attire. …[ 196 ] My sister also received many prophecies from the lama and ḍākinīs as she experienced them in visions. Her life-threatening obstacle, due to occur in the Dragon year, was also averted because of faithful people’s supplications. Then, as the time had come, the two of us siblings and two tulkus ventured to Trochu. …[ 197 ] The patron Tārodrung was about to die, and we all, mainly my sister and I, extended his life for three months. Although he was a sinful and fell man, my sister cared for him wisely and planted the seed of bodhicitta in his mind-stream. She also lessened his mental habituations through the view of dharmatā’s natural radiance, and he came to realize a portion of the theory of faithful compassion. He was, thereby, blessed as a fortunate one by her deeds." Also, the 250th page states:[ 198 ] "We traveled to Dechenling Monastery with our retinue and fulfilled the people’s wishes in accordance with their needs. As the right time had arisen, we went to the area of Awo Tabshe, and the excellent auspicious connections came about perfectly. Since all the non-human guardians of the [224] secret treasure, who had karmic connections with my sister in the past, chiefly the local deity Awo Tabshe, saw her with their clairvoyance, they submitted their vital-heart mantras and pledged their servitude. "Then we went to Kachok Monastery. But as soon as the ceremonies on the tenth day were completed, I returned to Trochu again. The patron Tārodrung passed away as well. We cared for him through purification rituals, consciousness transference, and cremation; and with her great compassion, my sister guided him on his way to the Glorious Mountain. "Next, we completed suitable temporal and spiritual activities in the surrounding areas. People under delusion’s control experienced some fantastical signs that were anything but deceitful. Then we headed back up and arrived at our place. "Those from Golok who had traveled to Lhasa also returned. However, there was a mixture of people who came, some with and some without samaya. A few minor issues arose upon their departure, but we just let them be. Still, I looked after the consciousness in the bardo and sent it swiftly off, where it eventually made it to the pure land. "It was at this time that some other people had come from Derge, and my student Tashi Gelek, foremost among them, came to ask for my presence. The younger prince at the capital was experiencing immense and intense obstacles, so he was invited to our place. We opened the three kinds of maṇḍala to the benefit of all; and having conquered the host of demons, we assembled exceptional auspicious connections perfectly. [225] I gave maturing empowerments and liberating instructions to the assembly, in accordance with their interest, and completely fulfilled their various hopes. As urged by the allotted Dharma custodian, Ḍākkima, I deciphered some symbolic scripts, and some faithful people displayed signs of blessings." When she was fifty-six in the Fire Snake year (1857), the Refuge Protector and Ḍākkima, along with their retinue, celebrated the new year at the capital city of Derge. While staying there, they accomplished necessary, contemporary enlightened activities. Then Do Khyentse, Losal Drölma, and retinue headed to Khogsung Chumen (“Protected Valley with Medicine Water”) to bathe in the hot springs.[ 199 ] During this period, they accomplished a great many enlightened activities for the sake of the teachings and residents of the area. Then, from Derge, they ultimately proceeded to Kachok Monastery in Gyalrong, the Somang king’s main object of veneration, and dwelled there. Ḍākkima traveled to the Tsetenling seat for its renovation and undertook the necessary rituals during her sojourn, taming the earth and other pertinent rites. After finalizing the renovation, the camp was moved from Kachok Monastery to Tsetenling. That year the reincarnation of Khaying Drölma, who had been born to the Somang king’s queen, was invited to the camp at Tsetenling and enthroned. Then the Precious Refuge Protector continued to Golok, while Losal Drölma [226] and retinue remained at Tsetenling, primarily engaged in retreat and deeds on behalf of the teachings and beings. In that year, Ḍākkima sent messengers to the Precious Refuge Protector in Golok and requested him to return in haste. In a letter sent back with the messengers, Do Khyentse wrote that he had urgent enlightened activities that he must see through. The 251st page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 200 ] "When the Fire Snake new year came about, after we finished such suitable and necessary offerings as those that please and fulfill the heroes and ḍākinīs, the two of us siblings traveled to Khogsung Chumen. There we placed all non-human spirits, primarily the great heir of the evil spirit and the chief local deity, under oath, and the elemental spirits quarreled to a sweltering degree. Yet, forcefully we bound them, many times over, with the seals that signify the teachings as we developed an altruistic compassion, marked by fortitude. "We found the hot springs, primarily, to be very beneficial, and we also conferred protective rituals, empowerments, blessings, and auspicious consecrations upon our faithful patrons in accordance with their interests and karmic allotment. Throughout the area, we developed opportunities for people to establish connections with the Dharma through seeing, hearing, touching, and remembering. As we departed, those with previous karmic connections saw us off until the border. Passing through the capital city, we arrived at Kachok Monastery. "Like always, Tsetenling required some renovation, and my sister went there to bless the [227] earth, while I did a bit of approach and accomplishment practice on my meditational deity at my residence. Eventually, the camp moved to Tsetenling. My sister and I reunited at some point, and Tashi Gelek returned home. "Then all of us invited the prince [Somang Chogtrul], and the Queen Mother and his sibling saw him off from the monastery. It was on an auspicious day that he settled at Tsetenling, and we created excellent auspicious connections in the form of a ceremony. …[ 201 ] At that point, the time came for me to go to Tsāriṭa in Kham, and Nyenpo Yutse’s host of deities came and called upon me. As my sister and others effectively ensured [that virtuous karmic] results would ripen on time by offering a ceremony, smoke offering, gifts, and goods to the treasure protectors, prominent local guardians, heroes, and ḍākinīs, I prepared for my journey to the upper lands, for which I embarked on an auspicious day." Also, the 256th page states:[ 202 ] "Messengers were sent from my sister to check up on me and encourage me not to stay too long. They also brought letters from the Sama capital. I wrote a letter, which I sent her, mentioning that I had some worthwhile affairs I needed to take care of." Also, the 264th page states:[ 203 ] "Since I came up there, apart from conducting protective rituals and occasional offerings and praises, my sister was [228] in retreat." When she was fifty-seven in the Earth Horse year (1858), Ḍākkima once again sent messengers to Golok to invite the Precious Refuge Protector. Following her messengers, he began his journey to Gyalrong. Upon his return journey, Do Khyentse arrived in Nyenpo Yutse, where he manifested various emanations. During his time there, the Dharma custodian Ḍākkima appeared in his luminous visions and assisted with the enlightened activities, resulting in their unhindered fulfillment. Then, swiftly returning to Tsetenling, the Refuge Protector reunited with Ḍākkima and retinue. Then Do Khyentse and the Somang king, with his entourage, departed for Trochu for the sake of the teachings and locals. Per Trokyab King Tsewang Rabten’s invitation, Losal Drölma went to Palek, the capital, where she performed long-life rituals for him and his entourage.[ 204 ] Additionally, while residing there, she consecrated the three objects and accomplished deeds on behalf of the teachings and residents. Then Ḍākkima and her retinue departed the Palek capital and proceeded to [229] Tsetenling via the [three places of] the Dampa capital, Gyalnak, and the Somang king’s new capital of Norbuling, respectively.[ 205 ] For the Refuge Protector’s enlightened activities to succeed without any obstacles, Losal Drölma performed various activities, elaborate and unelaborate, during her time there—namely, supplications to the lama, exhortations to the meditational deities, feast offerings to the ḍākinīs, offerings to the Dharma protectors, and offerings to the treasure guardians. The 256th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states:[ 206 ] "On a favorable day of the first month of the Earth Horse year, we celebrated the new year and made some smoke offerings at the place of Yanglek."[ 207 ] Also, the 258th page states:[ 208 ] "Together with the escorting messengers from the Tsetenling seat and the Sama capital, our camp settled at Mayul for a while. Some of us, master and attendants, fulfilled the wishes, just enough, of those whom we met along the way. Lord Ngawang was one of them.[ 209 ] Then we arrived in Nyenpo Yutse. The upper side of the rockface there, adjacent to the lake, is like a dancing Ḍākinī. During the day, I preoccupied myself with distractions, taking in the landscape and partaking in various games. During the night, I engaged in heruka sādhanas for the pure realm of the earth travelers and knowledge holders and for the pure land endowed with beautiful sights and precious jewels." Also, the 259th page states:[ 210 ] "At that time, the Dharma custodian Ḍākkima did not physically come. Nevertheless, in a luminous vision, she appeared as an emanated body of light and took up the responsibilities of a great caretaker." Also, the 259th page states:[ 211 ] "When the time came, we set on the road together with the [230] escort from the border areas. Since we believed there would be delays, we traveled secretly and swiftly through Ngakhok and other places.[ 212 ] At Katö, the escort from the eight towns started on their return journey.[ 213 ] Leaving altruistic deeds and auspicious connections unfinished, we arrived safely at Tsetenling. "From the time I came up there, apart from conducting protective rituals and occasional offerings and praises, my sister was in retreat. …[ 214 ] For the well-being of the people of Trochu, it was necessary for the king, Queen Mother, and prince to go there. I also went for the purpose of averting obstacles and offering protective services. The group arrived at the capital, followed by the arrival of the Chinese as well. Together all of us endeavored in methods for creating the causes of well-being for the people. I also provided some necessary services to a degree. After some time, everything became peaceful. "At that time, as the supreme king of Trokyab sent an escort, my sister also proceeded to the capital of Palek via Dampa. While having a close patron-priestess relationship, she fulfilled his wishes, completing in turn the relevant deeds of consecrating statues during the feasts for the assembly." Also, the 268th page states:[ 215 ] "After receiving Sawang Rinpoche’s permission, my sister departed Palek and safely arrived at Tsetenling. On the way, she briefly visited the Dampa capital, Gyalnak, and the Sama capital, where she paid a short visit to the [231] Queen Mother." Ḍākkima went to many places including Dampa, Gyalnak, and the Sama capital, perfectly fulfilling disciples’ wishes along the way. Subsequently, she returned to Tsetenling and resided there. The 268th page of Refuge Protector’s The Speech of the Ḍākinī states: "After receiving Sawang Rinpoche’s permission, my sister departed Palek and safely arrived at Tsetenling. On the way, she briefly visited the Dampa capital, Gyalnak, and the Sama capital, where she paid a short visit to the [231] Queen Mother. …[ 216 ] My great sister thoroughly accomplished all activities, elaborate and unelaborate, all of which were necessary and suitable. She brought about prosperity and well-being for the realm in both general and specific aspects. But in particular, she opened the door of the Enlightened Heart-Essence [treasure cycle] at Ka Ke’utsang and finalized the decoding of symbols, including those of various ritual masks. She also made supplication prayers that pleased and fulfilled the lamas, allowing for all to be accomplished without hindrances; called upon the meditational deities; offered feasts to the ḍākinīs; amended the outer, inner, and secret pledges; and presented offerings to the Dharma protectors and treasure guardians." Ḍākkima was fifty-eight in the Earth Sheep year (1859), but the Refuge Protector began writing The Speech of the Ḍākinī: An Autobiography in the eleventh month of the Earth Horse year (1858), completing the task on the fifteenth day of the [232] first month of the Earth Sheep year (1859). Therefore, there is no way to know about Losal Drölma’s life after this year. However, the Refuge Protector’s autobiography was written at Trochen Sawang’s hermitage of Khandrö Dzongchen.[ 217 ] At that time, she and the camp were at the seat of Tsetenling, and the pair made it their main seat around this time. Consequently, it seems that when she was fifty-eight in the Earth Sheep year, Ḍākkima was residing at Tsetenling, carrying out deeds on behalf of the teachings and beings. CHAPTER 15: HER PASSING On the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month of the Iron Bird year (1861), in the fourteenth calendrical cycle, at the age of sixty, Ḍākki Losal Drölma passed into the dharmadhātu while bestowing numerous future prophecies and displaying a great many wondrous signs. In his supplication to the life of the Refuge Protector, Do Drimè Drakpa depicts: "Iron Bird year, fourth month, twenty-fifth, morning: With prophecies of times to come, Ḍākkima, The hour of your departure for Khecara came to be. Benefactress for beings to be tamed—I supplicate [233] you." This verse here I wrote from the memories of Do Dasal Wangmo .[ 218 ] The original manuscript of this supplication to the life of the Refuge Protector was lost during the time of turmoil. CHAPTER 16: HER BIOGRAPHY WITHIN KHYENTSE'S BIOGRAPHY OF SIGNS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT Some parts of Ḍākki Losal Drölma’s life story are found in The Secret Biography of Khyentse Heruka: The Compilation of the Displays of the Signs of Accomplishment, and I have arranged them here. The eighth sign of attainment states: "When Drubwang [Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje] was staying at La’utang Monastery with his entourage, his sister taught Dzogchen to the students at Garnang Hermitage.[ 219 ] One time, as soon as the sun arose, the Refuge Protector said, 'Raltri, go get two horses and a white mule. The time has come for us to go.' He did accordingly, and they rode out to the foot of the plain. "Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje said, 'Raltri, close your eyes!' It was as if a wind had come about and lifted us away [thought Raltri]. After a while, Do Khyentse said, 'Open your eyes!' "Upon opening his eyes, he realized they had appeared at the Garnang Karza hermitage [234] as [his father’s] sister (Losal Drölma) had just concluded teaching. They met the students as they were being dismissed and moving about, but nobody could see the pair. However, [his father’s] sister saw them. Then all the students could see them, and they came to prostrate on the ground. When Raltri looked at the sun, it was in the same position as when they departed La’utang Monastery. The wonder of this struck everyone." Thus, Ḍākkima was always in retreat, engaging in approach and accomplishment practice, and assisting the Refuge Protector with his enlightened activities. Additionally, it is evident she bestowed teachings to students at the camp, both of sūtra and tantra, but especially those concerning the Dzogchen teachings of the Old Translation school. The Abridged Biographies: The Lineage of the Do Family authored by Do Dasal Wangmo in the Fire Ox year (1997) in the seventeenth calendrical cycle depicts: "Lord Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s sister was Losal Drölma. Her father was Chökor Sönam Pen, and her mother was Tsewang Men. She was born on the tenth day of the Resultant month (10th month) of the Water Dog year of the thirteenth calendrical cycle.[ 220 ] In the early morning of her birth, a great resounding of [Tārā’s] ten-syllable mantra was clearly heard, and many amazing signs manifested, green light pervading the entire house, for instance. "From Dodrubwang, she received immeasurable common and uncommon teachings. Particularly from her brother, the Lord, she received the golden-letter cycle of The Exceedingly Secret, Enlightened Heart-Essence. [235] Putting them to practice, the results of accomplishment became apparent, and she beheld the faces of the primordial wisdom ḍākinī and a number of her personal deities. She bound hosts of haughty ones into her service and became renowned for being the emanation of the mother Tārā and Vajravārāhī. Since she attained mastery over the supreme and ordinary siddhis, she would often appear in a cross-legged position in the air, and by pronouncing PHAṬ! she would teleport to a new place, only to later reappear in a corporeal form. Such miraculous powers she mastered. She was the Dharma custodian and caretaker of the activities, and established many human and non-human beings on the path of maturation and liberation. At sixty she passed away in the morning of the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month of the Iron Bird year. When her body shrank to a cubit in height, there were sounds, lights, rainbows, and numerous relics. CLOSING PRAISE: Lady of the lineage, Ḍākkima, Like a cluster of stars, your stories are manifold. Their arrangement in words, I have not seen. So, I lack the fortune to compose more than a précis. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] Dak+ki blo gsal sgrol ma, 1802–1861, BDRC P1GS138134 ; mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje, 1800–1866, BDRC P698 . Refuge Protector, or Kyabgön (skyabs mgon), is used exclusively throughout the document when denoting Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje. To align with English’s distaste for monotonous repetition and to clarify the subject for the reader, we have used variants from “Refuge Protector Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje” throughout the translation. [2] A Dharma custodian (chos bdag) is an individual who is ultimately responsible for the transmission of a particular set of teachings. [3] The specific version of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s autobiography (rang rnam mkha’ ’gro’i zhal lung) used for cross-referencing is mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje 2009 , BDRC MW1PD89990 . This is not the same text utilized by Chödar; however, we have noted the corresponding page numbers and omissions from BDRC MW1PD89990. For a reference to the general collection of the autobiography, see mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje, BDRC WA18047 . For the second text mentioned, see Anon, BDRC W4PD971 . [4] chos skor ma bsod nams ’phan, BDRC P1PD76596 ; The Chökhor are descendants of the Akyong clan (a skyong, BDRC C11MS165 ). mda’ pa’i bu mo tshe dbang sman, BDRC P1PD76598 ; Dapa was from upper Ma and was said to be a descendant of the nyen spirits. mkha’ ’gro ma sha za kha mo [5] bar gzhi nang pa, BDRC G1PD76597 ; pad+ma ’bum, BDRC G3775 ; mgo log, BDRC G1490 ; a mdo, BDRC G1202 [6] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 60.2. [7] ’dzom pa skyid [8] shugs chen stag ’go ri khrod; rdo grub chen 01 ’jigs med ’phrin las ’od zer, 1745–1821, BDRC P29 [9] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 61.5. [10] Brahmā’s Divine Flower (tshangs pa lha yi me tog) is an epithet of Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde btsan, 742–796/800, BDRC P7787 ). [11] dbyings kyi rdo rje [12] g.yu zhal ’bar; bsam yas dgon pa, BDRC G287 ; ’jigs med gling pa, 1730–1798, BDRC P314 [13] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 146.2. [14] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 64.4. [15] ’bri gung mthil dgon pa, BDRC G340 ; lha sa BDRC G2800 [16] rdzogs chen dgon, BDRC G16 [17] rdzogs chen grub dbang 04 mi ’gyur nam mkha’i rdo rje, 1793–1870, BDRC P1710 [18] sde dge, BDRC G1539 ; chos lung gdong [19] kaH thog si tu 01 chos kyi seng ge, b. 1775, BDRC P5981 ; zhe chen rab ’byams 03 rig ’dzin dpal ’byor rgya mtsho, 1771–1807, BDRC P2JM436 ; mgo tsha mchog sprul 01 ’jam dpal bsam gtan rgya mtsho, 1791–1860, BDRC P8327 [20] klong chen pa dri med ’od zer, 1308–1364, BDRC P1583 ; mdzod bdun, BDRC WA10MS11430 ; snying thig ya bzhi, BDRC WA12827 [21] yang ri sgar, BDRC G62 ; ’bri gung rdzong gsar [22] nye gnas ’od zer mtha’yas, BDRC P5052 ; tshe ring ljongs, BDRC G351 [23] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 94.5. [24] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 121.3. [25] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 121.3. [26] mdo gong ma, BDRC G1722 ; Tubten Chödar footnotes in his biographical work that Do Gongma is under the jurisdiction of Pema Dzong, Golok. [27] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 140.1 [28] gyi lung thugs mchog rdo rje, d. 1939, BDRC P6007 ; kaH tog dgon, BDRC G17 ; sbra mgo ri khrod [29] dge rtse paN chen ’gyur med tshe dbang mchog grub, 1761–1829, BDRC P2943 [30] ’dus pa mdo, BDRC WA0RK0825 ; sgyu ’phrul zhi khro; yang dag; sangs rgyas mnyam sbyor, BDRC WA10MS11180 ; ’khor ba dong sprug; rdo rje phur pa; bka’ brgyud rnam gsum [31] gsang snying rgyud, BDRC WA21833 ; kaH thog pa dam pa bde gshegs, 1122–1192, BDRC P1314 ; phyag tsha sprul sku 01 kun bzang nges don dbang po, BDRC P5987 [32] dri med zhing skyong 02 ’jigs med rig ’dzin mgon po, d. 1836, BDRC P5992 ; rmog rtsa 02 chos dbyings rdo rje, BDRD P6008 [33] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 188.1. [34] ’dzir ka la [35] dpon stobs rgyal; tsha dbon klong gsal [36] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 192.1. [37] sde dge lhun grub sgang/steng is the Derge capital in which the Lundrubteng Monastery is located, BDRC G193 . [38] ’jigs med blo gsal, BDRC P2JM209 [39] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 203.5. [40] nye gnas kun bzang bstan dar [41] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 204.5. [42] khro skyabs thugs chen po, BDRC G3728 [43] mdzod dge thang skor [44] mgo log rtag lcags thar rgyal [45] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 232.4 [46] mtsho sngon zhing chen, BDRC G977 [47] yar klung pad+ma bkod, BDRC G3983 ; reb gong, BDRC G2369 ; gling rgya a mye lha ri [48] gling rgya sngags khang [49] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 261.1. [50] bka’ brgyad, BDRC WA1KG12075 [51] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~261.5–262.3. [52] bla brang bkra shis sgo mngas, BDRC G1802 ; gsang khog; dngul rwa lha de, BDRC G3227 [53] rdo rdzong; gnyen po g.yu rtse [54] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 268.2. [55] dmar rgyan khrom skyid [56] khams kyi tsA ri Ta, BDRC G2CN11110 [57] g.yu rtse’i mtsho [58] rgyal rong, BDRC G1272 [59] tsha kha rgyal bkra shis thang [60] The insertion, which gives the instrumental, is ye shes rdo rje 2009, 270.1–270.2. Chödar’s text begins on 270.4 [61] rog bza’ bsod nams dpal dge, 1800–1884, BDRC P2JM289 . For a praise of Rogza Sönam Palge see Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpai Nyima, “In Praise of Sönam Palge,” trans. Adam Pearcey, Lotsawa House, 2020. [62] ’brong rdzong [63] yul bzhi pad+ma seng ge [64] Dak+ki sa ’dzin chen mo [65] Dak+ki pad+ma ’bum sde [66] ’drong rdzong sar wa ha’i ri khrod, BDRC G1PD76601 [67] mkha’ dbying sgrol ma, 1823–1854, BDRC P1PD76599 ; ye shes mtsho rgyal, BDRC P7695 [68] ’dzir kha; ’dzam thang rdzong, BDRC G2336 [69] rdza chu kha, BDRC G2301 [70] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 274.5. [71] ’jigs byang [72] ’dzir ka na mda’ [73] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 281.4. [74] Approach and accomplishment pertain to the four stages of a creation stage practice: (1) approach, (2) close approach, (3) accomplishment, and (4) great accomplishment. [75] rma yul pad+ma ri mtho, BDRC G1PD76604 [76] gling lha; ma gcig grub pa’i rgyal mo, BDRC P4CZ15370 ; mkha’ ’gro ma rgod lcam dkar mo [77] gling ge sar, BDRC T248 [78] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 282.1. [79] seng ’u’i sgom khang khra mo [80] For a brief glimpse into bla zog, see Berounský “Tibetan Purificatory Sel Rituals,” 37. [81] bla ma pad+ma seng ge; ’om ’go; klong chen snying thig; BDRC WA7478 [82] phun tshog rdzong [83] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 284.1. [84] a ba to ta ro stag skyab; nag nyo bla ma bzod pa [85] The interpolation within the parenthesis is extant in Chödar’s text. [86] rdo grub ’jigs med ’phrin las ’od zer 02 shes rab me ’bar, 1829–1842, BDRC P1PD76603 [87] rig pa’i ral gri, 1830–1896, BDRC P7933 ; Jigme Lingpa’s son, Jigme Dechen (’jigs med bde chen) also known as Jigme Nyingche Özer/Wangpo (’jings med nyin byed ’od zer/dbang po), was the Fourth Drigung Chungtsang Tenzin Chökyi Gyaltsen (’bri gung chung tsang 04 bstan ’dzin chos kyi rgyal mtshan, 1793–1826, BDRC P2233 ). His father never formally recognized his paternity. For more information on this see: Sørensen, “Rulers of the Celestial Plain,” 734. [88] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 284.3. [89] rgyal po tshe dbang lhun grub [90] Abhirati (mngon par bga’) is the eastern buddha field of the five buddha families. Belonging to Akṣobhya, it is the realm of the vajra family. [91] khro kyabs nang so nam mkha’ lhun grub; kaH gong seng ge yangs rdzong; We are emending kaHgong seng ge yangs rdzong to ka ke’u seng ge yongs rdzongs as found in ye shes rdo rje 2009. [92] nang so rin po che [93] rma stod rdzong, BDRC G1755 [94] dge bshes rgyal sa; Thub bstan chos dar 2008 and ye shes rdo rje 2009 both spell it as dge bshes. But this kingdom is also known as Geshitsa (dge shis tsa). See Tuttle, “An Introduction to Gyelrong.” [95] lcags la, BDRC G1489 ; yu thang/’gu thang, BDRC G1PD76606 ; the document uses both yu thang and ’gu thang; however, we are using Yutang in all instances for the sake of the reader. [96] The biographies do not expressly state if he is pertaining to the Lhagang area (lha sgang ring mo, BDRC G1100 ) or to its Lhagang Monastery (lha sgang dgon pa, BDRC G3791 ). bzhag bra gangs dkar [97] dar rtse mdo, BDRC G2308 [98] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 286.1. [99] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~286.1–286.3. [100] dar rtse mdo, BDRC G2308 [101] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 286.4. [102] ri khud sprul pa’i sku [103] ma gcig lab kyi sgron ma, 1055–1149, BDRC P3312 [104] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~287.4–292.1 [105] chos rgyal srong btsan sgam po, 617–650, BDRC P8067 [106] pad+ma ’byung gnas, BDRC P4956 [107] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 293.1. [108] rgya bza’ kon jo, 623–680, BDRC P8116 [109] blon po mgar stong btsan, BDRC P8117 [110] ’bar ma spyang gdong ma’i te se [111] gser bye thang; rta’u yul BDRC G2298 [112] ma hA skyid lung dgon, BDRC G353 [113] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 296.3. [114] has po ri, BDRC G3CN278 [115] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 297.3. [116] g.yi khog [117] lcags rkang sde cha sprul sku [118] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 298.1. [119] bzhag bra lha rtse, BDRC G3500 [120] rdzogs chen mkha’ ’gro’i yang tig chen mo [121] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 298.4. [122] nye gnas ’od gsal snying po [123] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~298.5–302.3. [124] pa waM/dpa’ dbang [125] sman pa ri khrod [126] g.yu mtsho [127] dpal ris dgon pa, BDRC G3786 [128] la’u thang dgon pa, BDRC G4110 [129] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 310.2. [130] rgyal mo dmu rdo, BDRC G3184 [131] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~310.4–313.5 [132] gter ston nyi zla snying po [133] hor brag ’go rdzong, BDRC G2299 [134] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 316.1. [135] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~316.2–316.3. [136] pad+ma mkha’ ’gro’i thugs thig skor [137] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 317.2. [138] khro kyabs dmu khri dpal legs rgyal sa [139] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 322.4. [140] lcang skya [141] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 323.5. [142] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 324.1 . [143] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 324.3. [144] gser thang; rdo grub chen 02 ’jigs med phun tshogs ’byung gnas, 1824/25–1860/63, BDRC P2561 [145] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~324.5–339.1. [146] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 339.5. [147] Oṃ vākyeda namaḥ is the heart mantra of Mañjuśrī. [148] rgyal po sngags ’chang dam pa [149] See Losal Drölma. zhabs brtan drang srong bden tshig. [150] Chödar’s text initiates the quote at ye shes rdo rje 2009, 342.1. However, we have inserted the instrumental clause from 341.5 in brackets. [151] rig pa’i ye shes [152] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~343.2–343.4. [153] Chödar notes on p. 206: “The above supplication prayer for long life still exists today.” [154] mdo dri med grags pa, 1846–1886, BDRC P8006 [155] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 347.4. [156] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~347.5–348.3. [157] gar nang jo sgang ri khrod, BDRC G3787 [158] a sga [159] Should you wish to read about Senge Monastery in Minyak (mi nyag seng ge dgon), see reb gong pa ʼjigs med bsam grub, ed. mi nyag seng ge dgon (dar mdo rdzong). [160] kar+ma pa 02 karma pak+Shi, 1204/1206–1283, BDRC P1487 [161] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 358.1. [162] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 365.4 [163] shar drong khog [164] khog tha seng tshang dgon [165] dpal legs [166] chos rgyal tshe dbang nam mkha’; Khaying Drölma (sras mo mkha’ dbyings sgrol ma, 1823–1854, BDRC P1PD76599 ) married King Tsewang Rabten of Trokyab. [167] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 366.2. [168] mtsho tor [169] rnam rgyal steng dgon, BDRC G1KR89 [170] tshe brten gling [171] kaH mchog dgon pa, BDRC G1KR84 [172] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 376.5. [173] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 377.2. [174] ka ke’u tshang [175] Emending tsa+tsha to sA tsa+tsha [176] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 379.3. [177] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 382.3 [178] zhi khro ngan song sbyong ba, BDRC WA0XL4F8B7D21A1CA [179] For a description of bone purification rituals, see Tulku Thondup, “Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth,” 223. [180] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 383.2 [181] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 384.4 [182] ka mchog dgon, BDRC G1KR84 ; for a history of the monastery see BDRC MW2CZ7959 . [183] so mang mchog sprul, b. 1855, BDRC P1PD76611 ; Somang Chogtrul’s biological father was Gyalse Rigpe Raltri, but his parental father was Somang King Tsegön Rigzin (so mang rgyal po tshe mgon rig ’dzin, BDRC P1PD76613 ). [184] bsam ’grub rdzong [185] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 395.2 [186] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 398.3 [187] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~398.3–399.1. [188] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 399.5 [189] ’khrugs bskang, BDRC T339 [190] sa ma mkhar rgyal sa [191] rgyal rong khro chu, BDRC G2332 [192] sbyin bdag tA ro drung [193] khro chu bde chen dgon, BDRC G3733 [194] a wo thabs shes [195] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 401.1 [196] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~401.2–402.5. [197] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~403.2–403.5. [198] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 404.4 [199] khog srung cho sman [200] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 406.5 [201] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~408.2–408.5. [202] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 414.3 [203] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 430.2 [204] khro skyabs rgyal po tshe dbang rab brtan, BDRC P1PD76602 [205] dam pa; rgyal nag; nor bu gling [206] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 415.1 [207] yang legs [208] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 417.5 [209] dpon ngag dbang [210] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 419.1 [211] Chödar’s referred witness is unavailable to the translators. But the page number noted in the translation, 259, is mistaken and not emended. ye shes rdo rje 2009, 429.5 [212] rnga khog, BDRC G1196 [213] ka stod [214] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~430.3. [215] ye shes rdo rje 2009, 343.1 [216] The text omits ye shes rdo rje 2009, ~434.2–434.3. [217] mkha ’gro’i rdzong chen [218] mdo zla gsal dbang mo, 1928–2018, BDRC P1GS60402 [219] gar nang kar mdza’ ri khrod, BDRC G3787 [220] smin zla Published: September 2022 Edited: December 2023 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Sponsored by the Khyentse Foundation Ashoka Grant BIBLIOGRAPHY thub bstan chos dar. DAk+ki blo gsal sgrol ma’i rnam thar. In mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje’i gdung rgyud rim byon gyi rnam thar gsal baʼi me long, 191–271. pe cin: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2008. BDRC W1KG987 . SECONDARY SOURCES: Anon. mkhyen brtse he ru ka’i gsang ba’i rnam thar grub rtags ston tshul ’thor bsdus. In dro bo bla mas nyar tshags mdzad pa’i dpe rnying dpe dkon, vol. 20, 139–254. BDRC W4PD971 . Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpai Nyima, “In Praise of Sönam Palge.” Translated by Adam Pearcey. Lotsawa House. 2020. https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/dodrupchen-III/sonam-palge-praise . Losal Drölma. zhabs brtan drang srong bden tshig. In gter chos mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje, vol. 3, 259–62. khreng tu’u: rdzogs chen dpon slob rin po che, 2009. BDRC MW1PD89990 . mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje. rig ’dzin ’jigs med gling pa’i yang srid sngags ’chang ’ja’ lus rdo rje’i rnam thar mkha’ ’gro’i zhal lung. In mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje’i rnam thar. BDRC WA18047 . reb gong pa ʼjigs med bsam grub, ed. mi nyag seng ge dgon (dar mdo rdzong). In dkar mdzes khul gyi dgon sde so soʼi lo rgyus gsal bar bshad pa, vol. 3, 18–23. pe cin: krung goʼi bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang, 1995. BDRC MW19997 . thub bstan chos dar. 2008. mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje’i gdung rgyud rim byon gyi ’khrungs rabs re’u mig. In mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje’i gdung rgyud rim byon gyi rnam thar gsal ba’i me long, 449–50. pe cin: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang. BDRC W1KG987. See translation: A Chronological Timetable: Lives of Do Khyentse’s Familial Line . Sørensen, Per. Rulers of the Celestial Plain: Ecclesiastic and Secular Hegemony in Medieval Tibet, a Study of Tshal Gung-thang. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2007. Tulku Thondup. Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook. Edited by Harold Talbott. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2005. Tuttle, Gray. “An Introduction to Gyelrong.” SHANTI Place Dictionary. University of Virginia. 2012. http://places.kmaps.virginia.edu/features/15376/descriptions/1220 . ye shes rdo rje. rig ’dzin ’jigs med gling pa’i yang srid sngags ’chang ’ja’ lus rdo rje’i rnam thar mkha’ ’gro’i zhal lung. In gter chos mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje, vol. 1, 1–468. Edited by skal bzang don grub. khreng tu’u: rdzogs chen dpon slob rin po che, 2009. BDRC MW1PD89990 . Abstract Collated, researched, and written by Tubten Chödar, The Biography of Ḍākki Losal Drölma systematizes and encapsulates the enlightened life of this female master of primordial wisdom. Being the half-sister and religious companion of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, a nineteenth-century treasure revealer, Losal Drölma was pivotal in the treasure teachings that he brought forth and became the Dharma custodian of his teachings. Not only did she travel and live in power places of Tibet, while imbibing the nectarous streams of liberating instructions, she spent a wealth of time in retreat and grew rich in experiential realization. BDRC LINK W1KG987 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century TEACHERS The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje Getse Mahāpaṇḍita Gyurme Tsewang Chogdrub The Fourth Dzogchen Rinpoche, Namkhe Mingyur Dorje The First Katok Situ, Chökyi Senge The Third Shechen Rabjam, Paljor Gyatso The First Gotsa Chogtrul, Jampal Samten Gyatso The Fourth Drigung Chungtsang, Tenzin Chökyi Gyaltsen The Second Drimé Zhingkyong, Jigme Rigzin Gönpo The Second Mogtsa, Chöying Dorje TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Drigung Yangri Gar Drigung Dzongsar Drigung Til Dzogchen Monastery Tseringjong Katok Monastery Lhundrubteng Monastery Yarlung Pemakö Sarwaha Hermitage Trokyab Tugje Chenpo Pema Rito Mahā Kyilung Monastery La'utang Monastery Palri Monastery Garnang Jogang Hermitage Namgyalteng Monastery Kachok Monastery Trochu Dechen Monastery STUDENTS Do Drimé Drakpa Rigzin Paljor AUTHOR Tubten Chödar The Biography of Ḍākki Losal Drölma VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

A vajra song supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu masters while expressing aspirations for realization through the luminous Mahāmudrā path. The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā A ho! Conjoining the pristine primordial wisdom free of elaborations With the youthfulness of luminous great bliss, You attained union endowed with the supreme of all aspects and bear the major and minor marks of perfect accomplishment. Great Buddha Vajradhara, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the unborn true nature! Vajra Queen, devourer of the three existences, with your magical illusions You bring the fortunate to a banquet of the two accomplishments And experientially reveal the naturally liberated truth of the fundamental nature. Chief of the primordial wisdom ḍākinīs, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to accomplish the unchanging supreme bliss! Displaying the drop of the primordially changeless nature of reality [365] As a playful emanation of the three seats of phenomena, You bestowed the short path of the ultimate secret yoga to the fortunate. Tilopa Prajñābhadra, [ 1 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the transcendent continuum! By the marvelous chariot of eighty-two challenging deeds, You approached the lotus feet of the presiding lord, the glorious guru, And attained the precious qualities of the stages and paths in a single moment. Reverend Lord Nāropa, [ 2 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to obtain the nectar of maturation and liberation! The flowers of the secret tantras blossom in the ocean-like multitudes of teachings and practices; By tapping them to extract the honey-like nectar of the essential pith instructions, You introduced the intelligent to the restfulness of the supreme adepts. Yogin Marpa the Translator, [ 3 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize the innate primordial wisdom! Driven by the wind of an intense and genuine determination to be free, You firmly secured yourself to the boat of the true nature, inner suchness, And crossed to the other shore of the ocean of existence and peace. Mila Zhepe Dorje, [ 4 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to reach the ultimate goal in one life! Outwardly, you are a spiritual friend of the Mahāyāna fully trained in bodhicitta; Inwardly, you are a practitioner of the Vajrayāna treading the path of maturation and liberation; Secretly, you are the crown jewel of the doctrine holders of the essential [366] profound meaning. Dharma King Da Ö Zhönu, [ 5 ] I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me so that the two benefits are accomplished spontaneously! In short, the beacons of the aural lineage of the ultimate and swift path Introduce all beings of the Land of Snow to the light of liberation And guide all with whom they have connections to the greatly blissful city of the three kāyas. Gurus of the Dagpo Kagyu of natural liberation, I long for you from the center of my heart— Bless me to realize all that is perceived as illusory! A ho! Although I have obtained the difficult to attain, the free and well-favored precious human body, I am disheartened at the way things appear to be—momentary and impermanent. Through the realization that wherever I am born in saṃsāra is naturally suffering— Bless me with the capacity to accept or reject cause and effect! Recognizing abodes, friends, and possessions to be a play of illusion, I deeply recall the revulsion toward insignificant things, come what may. In a cave of extreme isolation, under an overhanging cliff in a pleasing environment— Bless me to strive single-pointedly in practice! To accept the Three Jewels as the foremost refuge, To train in supreme bodhicitta both in aspiration and in deed, And to utterly expel all obscurations by utilizing the four powers— Bless me to achieve these goals and to endeavor on the path of the two accumulations! In particular, the embodiment of all the victors of the three times, The bodily display of [367] omniscient primordial wisdom, The presiding lord, the glorious guru possessing the three-fold kindness— Bless me to perfect uncontrived devotion! By the guru’s power, the empowerment that transfers vajra wisdom Purifies the three doors equally of all habitual tendencies of transference, [ 6 ] And one directly perceives the ultimate and unchanging, true fundamental nature— Bless me to liberate saṃsāra and nirvāṇa into the central channel! The form, arisen from the essence that is the same as emptiness, Perceiving it as the union of appearance and emptiness, the body of the deity, Firmly binds common delusory concepts— Bless me to cultivate the excellent path of the creation stage! By being saturated with the nectar of the three kinds of training, I have accomplished the union of all winds that enter, abide, and arise, And become familiar with the outer, inner, and secret yoga of inner heat— Bless me in my blazing, dripping, and dissolving in the central channel! [ 7 ] Resting in the actual primordial wisdom of near attainment during equipoise And perceiving all things as the eight similes of illusion [ 8 ] during subsequent cognition Familiarizes one with the illusory clarity-emptiness, pure and devoid of clinging— Bless me to accomplish the level of union! Having entered the luminosity of supreme bliss through complete or subsequent dissolution And conjoined it [368] with the essence of the four empties in an experience of equality, Everything is liberated into the space of the vajra mind of perfect accomplishment— Bless me to dissolve into the dharmakāya of death! Holding the wind and mind inseparably in the drop of the throat And viewing daytime appearances as only the entering and emerging of dreams, Conjoin one with the practice that recognizes derivative delusion for what it is— Bless me to master purification, multiplication, emanation, and transformation! [ 9 ] Familiarizing myself with the view that sees all phenomena as the unreal appearances of the intermediate state, The direct cause of being able to see those appearances as deity, mantra, and dharmakāya Merges the intermediate state with the level of the saṃbhogakāya— Bless me to achieve the supreme attainment! Although the ultimate is beyond elaborate characteristics, such as coming and going, Conventionally, by relying upon a messenger of yogic breath practice, The wind, mind, and drop are ejected into the space of the dhūti [ 10 ] — Bless me to attain the unerring Khecara ! [ 11 ] The meditative absorption of calm-abiding abandons all coarse and subtle concepts. When magnificently perfected, it is like a placid ocean. By embracing it with the insight of the inexpressible and self-arisen true nature— Bless me to realize their inseparable union! One-pointedness is remaining in a state of clarity-emptiness in the yoga of visionary experiences. Freedom from elaborations is realizing the original fundamental nature upon the path of seeing. One taste is being free from abandoning, adopting, denying, and affirming— Bless me to secure these along with the fourth, the stronghold of non-meditation! Through familiarizing myself with primordially innate, unchanging great bliss— The indivisible E and VAM, the drop of spring— And by introducing the indicative wisdom as the uncovered, true primordial wisdom— Bless me to perceive the definitive meaning of Mahāmudrā! Accordingly, by relying upon the vajra yogas of the swift path And maintaining my commitments and vows in a faultless form During the experiences of this life, at the time of death, and in the intermediate state— Bless me to achieve the level of the three kāyas! If the power of karma causes me to enter existence, Bless me to be born into the sharp-witted Vajrayāna family, And with songs intoxicated with the nectar of maturation and liberation— Bless me to proceed to the cities of accomplishment! In this way, with resolute respect, a supplicating song of the definitive meaning Was sung with a lotus-like and pleasing voice that is free of attachment On the twenty-fifth day during the waning phase when the heroes and ḍākinīs assembled To make an aspiration prayer to realize transcendent luminosity. COLOPHON This supplication to the great masters who attained accomplishment through the path of the luminous Mahāmudrā in conjunction with aspirational prayers of the profound path was freely composed by the renunciate beggar called Tsuglak Mawé Nyima [ 12 ] on the twenty-fifth day under the light of a butter lamp near the glorious Taklung Monastery. [ 13 ] Siddhirastu! [ 14 ] NOTES The Drop of Spring is a vajra song that invokes the Dagpo Kagyu Mahāmudrā lineage, recounts a brief tale of each of this tradition’s earliest masters, and requests inspiration to complete the path of awakening. According to the colophon, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo composed this text spontaneously while seated near a butter lamp just outside Taklung Monastery. The song is divided into two main sections: lineage supplications and aspirations. The lineage supplicated is comprised of the earliest Mahāmudrā masters of the Dagpo Kagyu. Each stanza contains a vignette of a master, followed by Khyentse Wangpo’s heart-filled request for that master’s blessing. The aspirations begin with the four thoughts that turn the mind to the Buddhist teachings: precious human birth, impermanence, suffering, and causality. Toward the end of the aspirations, Khyentse Wangpo sings about the foundations of the Vajrayāna path and the special practices of Mahāmudrā. [1] te lo pa, 988–1069, BDRC P4024 [2] nA ro pa, 1012/1016–1100, BDRC P3085 [3] mar pa lo tsA ba chos kyi blo gros, 1012?–1097, BDRC P2636 [4] Milarepa (mi la bzhad pa’i rdo rje, 1040–1123, BDRC P1853 ) [5] Gampopa (dwags po zla ’od gzhon nu, 1079–1153, BDRC P1844 ) [6] “Habitual tendencies of transference” has a range of meaning but generally refers to the “transference of the elements during union.” For an extensive explanation, see Padmasambhava, The Light of Wisdom , Vol. 2, 281, n. 204. [7] The “yoga of inner heat” is a reference to tummo ( gtum mo ) practice. [8] The “eight similes” are that phenomena are like: (1) a dream, (2) an illusion, (3) an optical illusion, (4) a mirage, (5) a reflection of the moon in water, (6) an echo, (7) the City of the Gandharvas, and (8) a phantom. For more detail, see The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism , entry on the “Eight Similes of Illusion” in the “List of Lists,” 73. [9] This stanza alludes to the practice of dream-state illusion, a subset of the illusory-body practice of the Six Yogas. During this method, the practitioner enacts specific processes to recognize appearances have the exact nature of dreams, identify dream phenomena, stabilize the clarity of dream states, and manipulate these experiences. The final line of “purification, multiplication, emanation, and transformation” succinctly points to such skillful means. For a detailed explanation and secondary reading, see Jamgön Kongtrul, The Elements of Tantric Practice , 163 and 345, n. 51. [10] The Sanskrit term dhūti refers to the central channel. [11] Khecara ( mkha’ spyod ) is first and foremost a highly purified experience connected with spiritual accomplishments ( dngos grub , siddhi ) in Buddhist tantra. It is a manifestation in which one’s realization is a completely pure realm. Endowed with eight qualities, such as subtly of form, the higher classification of Khecara is an utterly pure realm where one can further train on the path. Associated with the realm of form, the god realm, and the human realm, this lesser state can be reached through meditative abilities or by yakṣī or siddha guides. For further reading on the topic, see Jamgön Kongtrul, Journey and Goal , 346–348. [12] Academic Nyima, or Tsuglak Mawé Nyima (gtsug lag smra ba’i nyi ma), is one of the pen names of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (’jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, 1820–1892), BDRC P258 . [13] Taklung Gönchen (stag lung dgon chen, BDRC G67 ) [14] "Let there be success!" Published: April 2022 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Originally published for Khyentse Vision Project Photo credit: Himalayan Art Resources BIBLIOGRAPHY mkhyen brtse'i dbang po. 2014. ’od gsal phyag rgya chen po’i shing rta chen po rnams la gsol ba ’debs pa’i rdo rje’i thol glu nges don dpyid kyi thig le. In gsung ’bum/_mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, vol. 22 (za), 364.3–369.6. khams sde dge rdzong sar dgon: rdzong sar blo gros phun tshogs. BDRC W3PD1002 ———. 2013. ’od gsal phyag rgya chen po’i shing rta chen po rnams la gsol ba ’debs pa’i rdo rje’i thol glu nges don dpyid kyi thig le. In mkhyen brtse'i bka' babs, vol. 2 (kha) 167.1–174.3. dkar mdzes bod rigs rang skyong khul sde dge rdzong: rdzong sar khams bye’i slob gling. BDRC MW4PD2082 Secondary: Buswell Jr, Robert E. and Donald S. Lopez Jr, eds. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé. Journey and Goal: An Analysis of the Spiritual Path and Levels to Be Traversed and the Consummate Fruition State . In The Treasury of Knowledge, Books Nine and Ten . Translated by Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2011. ———. The Elements of Tantric Practice: A General Exposition of the Process of Meditation in the Indestructible Way of Secret Mantra . In The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Eight, Part Three . Translated by Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2008. Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche. Gateway to Knowledge: The Treatise Entitled the Gate for Entering the Way of a Paṇḍita, Vol. III . Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2002. Padmasambhava and Jamgön Kongtrül. The Light of Wisdom, Vol. 2 . Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999 Abstract The Drop of Spring inspires us by supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu lineage and making aspirational prayers on the path of the luminous Mahāmudrā. BDRC LINK W3PD1002 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 10:15 TRADITION Sakya Nyingma Marpa Kagyu INCARNATION LINE Dzogchen Khyentse Dzongsar Khyentse Beru Khyentse Dilgo Khyentse Pagchok Khyentse PREVIOUS & SUBSEQUENT INCARNATIONS Jigme Lingpa The Forty-Fourth Ngor Khenchen, Jampa Namkha Chimé Subsequent Incarnations Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Karma Jamyang Khyentse Özer Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Peljor The Third Dzongsar Khyentse, Khyentse Norbu The First Dzogchen Khyentse, Guru Tsewang HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf STUDENTS Jampa Tenzin Khamnyön Dharma Senge Khenchen Tashi Özer The Fourth Zhechen Gyaltsab, Gyurme Pema Namgyal Mipam Gyatso Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye Ngorpa Pönlob Loter Wangpo Dongkam Tulku, Ngawang Damchö Gyatso The Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje Śākya Śrī The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje Gatön Ngawang Legpa Karma Ngedön Tengye Tashi Rinchen Orgyen Tenzin Norbu The Second Dzaka Chogtrul Kunzang Namgyal The First Adzom Drugpa, Drodul Pawo Dorje Khenchen Tubten Gyaltsen Özer Jamyang Sherab Chökyi Nangwa The First Gyatrul, Dongak Tenzin Rigzin Gargyi Wangchuk Khenchen Tsewang Rigzin Tubten Legshe Zangpo Kunga Jampal Drakpa The Eighth Dzamtang Chöje, Mipam Chökyi Jampa Jamyang Dragpa Pema Tegchok Loden The Fifth Zhechen Rabjam, Pema Tegchok Tenpe Gyaltsen Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Gyaltsen Ayu Khandro Dorje Paldrön Minyak Kunzang Sönam Kunzang Gyurme Palden Chimé Takpe Dorje Chokgyur Lingpa Kunga Palden The Sixty-Fifth Ngor Khenchen, Dampa Rinpoche Ngawang Lodrö Zhenpen Nyingpo Ngawang Nyima Könchok Paldrön Ngawang Jampal Rinchen INSTITUTIONS Mindröling Ngor Ewaṃ Chöden Dzongsar Dzongshö Rongme Karmo Taktsang Khawa Karpo Pema Shelpuk TEACHERS Gelong Tubten Dröltön Jamyang Chögyan Kagyu Trinle Wangchuk The Fourth Dzogchen Drubwang, Mingyur Namkhe Dorje Könchok Tenpa Rabgye Yeshe Döndrub Tenpe Gyaltsen Gyurme Tutob Namgyal Chokgyur Lingpa Gyelse Zhenpen Taye Özer Pema Dudul Wangchuk Dorje Rinchen Zhalu Losal Tenkyong The Fourth Zimok, Jampa Tenzin Nyendrak Minling Jetsun Trinle Chödrön The Eighth Chagzam, Khyenrab Tutob Kachen Lobzang Gelek Khenpo Damchö Özer The Forty-Seventh Ngor Khenchen, Jampa Kunga Tenzin The Second Mogtsa, Chöying Dorje Khengen Rigzin Gyatso The First Gyatrul, Dongak Tenzin Pema Vajra Taklung Trirab Ngawang Tenpe Nyima Sakya Yabje Kunga Rinchen Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu Ngawang Namgyal AUTHOR Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! 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A mysterious letter from the Ninth Paṇchen Lama's secretary to Hotoktu Rinpoche, now preserved in a French private collection - its acquisition history remains unknown. A Letter to Hotoktu Rinpoche I offer this at the feet of the incomparable glorious protector of the doctrine and beings, the venerable lord and excellent being, Hotoktu Rinpoche. [ 1 ] In these exceedingly virtuous times, I [hope] your supreme body, the singular eddy flowing from the pure conduct of your primordial and immense resolve to attain enlightenment and the source of precious jewels, is entirely brilliant. Moreover, the garland of your incomparable, marvellous deeds brings about the benefit and welfare of the teachings and beings in an all-pervasive manner, as if it is rising to the summit of existence. We are grateful for your loving care! I am also well, both mentally and physically. We humbly request that the precious emanation of the supreme protector, [the Paṇchen Lama], take up all the lifestyles of previous reincarnations and diligently engage in studying and conducting deeds beneficial for religious and secular matters. The main point of this letter is connected with an enquiry made by the head personal attendant Nomin Han . [ 2 ] Here, we have made good preparations for the long-life offering to the refuge protectors, victorious lords, father and son (the Paṇchen Lama and the Dalai Lama) and to serve and venerate the sangha. However, it has not been possible to obtain permission to do this in the last three years. Hence, [the Panchen Lama], like a thirsty person desires water, very much wishes to visit you. However, in addition to his old age, recently, from the beginning of the second month, he has developed an illness that is combined with phlegm, blood pressure, and bo disease. [ 3 ] It is increasingly worsening. Not only that, but the divination that was conducted last year indicated that the obstacles of his sixty-second year would be significant. This divination also indicated that there would be a slightly greater obstacle on the way. Subsequently, we do not have the hope that he will recover for a while or for you both to come together. At this time, the treasurer, master, and servants were specially delegated to offer gifts without delay to everyone, especially the government, in reciprocity with the gifts received. Apart from that, we have no choice but to take leave for a few years until his health is completely restored. Also, as the head personal attendant himself has [already] sent a separate detailed letter requesting permission to serve you, the Excellent Protector, when you come to Tibet, if you are definitely going to come, I hope his request will be answered with a positive result. Please keep us informed of your visit and, as per your wishes, we can choose and appoint suitable and new personal attendants. Please keep [these words] in the deep expanse of your mind. In the future, for the excellent benefit of the doctrine and beings, please spontaneously establish your precious feet in the everlasting nature. Moreover, may your enlightened resolve and beneficial activities be even better than before, and from that state, may you also keep your compassionate deeds uninterrupted like the Ganges river. I send this request and my regards along with a pair of ceremonial scarfs. [ 4 ] Sent on an auspicious date. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] If the letter is from the secretary of the Ninth Paṇchen Lama, then Hotoktu Rinpoche is khal kha rje btsun dam pa 08 ngag dbang blo bzang chos kyi nyi ma, or rje btsun dam pa ho thog thu rin po che, 1870/1871–1923/1924, BDRC P4945 [2] byabs khrus mkhan po no min han [3] 'bo nad [4] lha rdzas Photo Credit: Wikipedia Published: September 2021 BIBLIOGRAPHY paN chen bla ma 09 thub bstan chos kyi nyi ma (purported). Date unknown. Private Collection. London: Tib Shelf W003 Abstract This letter is purportedly from the secretary of the Ninth Paṇchen Lama to Hotoktu Rinpoche. It was purchased and is now conserved in a private collection in France. The means of the initial acquisition is unknown. We are happy to receive any information concerning this letter. TIB SHELF W003 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 03:35 TRADITION Geluk INCARNATION LINE Paṇchen Lama HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso Ngawang Tsültrim Dönden Tenzin Wanggyal TRANSLATORS Rachael Griffiths Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Tashilhünpo Monastery STUDENTS Pema Chok Palsangpo The Fifth Jamyang Shepa, Lobsang Jamyang Yeshé Tenpé Gyaltsen Jigme Trinle Gyatso Lobsang Lungtok Jikmé Tenpé Gyaltsen Ngawang Tsültrim Dönden Jigme Tenpé Gyaltsen The Fifth Maṇipa, Lobsang Chöpel Gyatso AUTHORS The Secretary of The Ninth Paṇchen Lama Tubten Chökyi Nyima A Letter to Hotoktu Rinpoche VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Terms of Use Privacy Policy Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.