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''The Dharma Connection with the Six Gatekeepers'' is a fascinating
cycle, as it is one of the few texts we have in the Sakya tradition that
records Drokmi’s personal interactions with his gurus at Vikramaśīla. In
order, the six paṇḍitas are Ratnākaraśānti, Prajñākaragupta, Jñānaśrīmitra,
Ratnavajra, Vāgīśvarakīrti, and Naropa (all late tenth to mid-eleventh
centuries). ''The Dharma Connection with the Six Gatekeepers'' includes four sections:
(1) Ratnākaraśānti’s ''Merging Sutra and Tantra and instructions'', (2)
T''he Trio for Removing Obstructions'' by Prajñākaragupta, Jñānaśrī, and Ratnavajra,
(3) Vāgīśvarakīrti’s ''Clear Mindfulness of the Innate'' and instructions,
and (4) Naropa’s ''Mahāmudrā That Removes the Three Sufferings''. There
appear to be no Tibetan commentaries on them, other than the summaries
by Kunga Drölchok.2
Ameshap’s ''Ocean That Gathers Excellent Explanations'' relates that when
Drokmi is studying Sanskrit in the Katmandhu Valley, he requests the
empowerments of Hevajra, Cakrasaṃvara, Guhyasamāja, Bhairava, and
Mahāmaya from the Nepali paṇḍita, Śāntibhadra. Drokmi studies with
Śāntibhadra for one year, excelling in his studies and earning the title “translator.”
Preparing to leave for India, Śāntibhadra encourages Drokmi and his
companions to head for Vikramaśīla after they pay respects at Bodhgaya. He
tells them there are six gatekeepers (''sgo srung'') at Vikramaśīla:
:Five hundred paṇḍitas who have received royal parasols are at that place. Foremost among them is Guru Śantipa, the one with the twofold omniscience in the age of degeneration. Śantipa is the eastern gatekeeper of Vikramaśīla, charged with debating grammar and epistemology. Vāgīśvarakīrti is the southern gatekeeper, charged with debating scriptural dharma. Since these two are equals, they also guide students together. The western gatekeeper is Prajñākaragupta of Oḍḍiyāna, charged with debating non-Buddhist systems. His special expertise is the view, meditation, conduct, and result of equipoise. The northern gatekeeper is Lord Naropa, charged with debating mantra. These two are considered equals. Jñānaśrīmitra of Kashmir and Ratnavajra are the so-called two great pillars in the center. However, they are not considered to have qualities greater than the others, and these five do not have less knowledge than Śantipa. Also, you should request dharma connections with the others.3
Amezhap tells us that Drokmi studied under Śantipa for a total of eighteen
years, receiving teachings in Vinaya and Prajñāparamitā, including Śantipa’s
own commentary on the ''Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five
Thousand Lines''.4 After these studies, Drokmi received Cakrasaṃvara and other
empowerments from Śantipa as well as the special instruction, ''Merging
Sutra and Tantra''. Drokmi then makes dharma connections with the other
five masters listed above and receives instruction from them.
Ratnākaraśānti’s ''Merging Sutra and Tantra'' is exactly what it sounds like,
a text on how to practice sutra and tantra in union. It recounts a conversation
between Śantipa and Drokmi, and then provides a method of practice
for the verse that Ratnākaraśānti utters. Amezhap furthers notes that Ratnākaraśānti
explains his view according to the path of the Mind Only school
and he practices the creation stage according to the Buddhajñāpāda system.
The person who authored the attached meditation instruction as well as
the remaining texts is not recorded, but it resembles the style of the eight
ancillary path cycles.
The rest of the cycle begins with an interlude and a title list of the five
paṇḍitas with whom Drokmi makes dharma connections. While Naropa’s
and Vāgīśvarakīrti’s texts are listed first, they actually come last. First
is ''The Trio for Removing Obstructions by Prajñākaragupta, Jñānaśrī, and
Ratnavajra''.
We know very little about Prajñākaragupta of Oḍḍiyāna, Jñānaśrīmitra
of Kashmir, and Ratnavajra other than their works in the Tengyur. These
three texts are quite brief and their titles are self-explanatory.
The thing of note here is that it appears that the person who put these three texts into
writing is Chöje Zhönu Drup, a Sakya master of the thirteenth century.
The next section is devoted to an instruction of Vāgīśvarakīrti, related to
''Mahāmudrā without Syllables'', with two parts. The first part of the text is
directly attributed to Vāgīśvarakīrti; the second part is a somewhat detailed
description of how to meditate in connection with the pledged deity, Hevajra.
Notable in the lineage is the presence of Khyungpo Naljor, the founder
of the Shangpa Kagyu.
The final section in this cycle is Naropa’s ''Mahāmudrā That Removes the
Three Sufferings''. Naropa himself needs no introduction. Like the Ratnākaraśānti
text that begins the cycle, this text also presents a dialogue with
Drokmi. No author is given for the final text, but there is a note that the
original text was somewhat unclear, and this text represents a reorganization
of the original text on behalf of an aristocratic woman named Trinle Kyi.
<center>'''''Introduction to Āryadeva's Grand Poem on Severance and its commentary Pure Honey'''''</center>
This text attributed to Brahmin Āryadeva ([[Bram ze A rya de ba]]) is the single Indian source text for the Sutra tradition of Severance, which is based entirely on the perfection of wisdom. The text appears in several editions of the [[Tengyur]], as well as in collections on Severance. It was known as the ''Fifty-Verse Poem'' (''Tshigs su bcad pa lnga bcu pa''), or the Grand Poem (''Tshigs bcad chen mo'').
There is very little information on the Brahmin Āryadeva, though it is clear that he is not the same person as Āchārya Āryadeva, the famous disciple of Nāgārjuna, since both Āryadevas often appear in the same lineage of Severance. In the many complex lines of transmission, Brahmin Āryadeva is placed variously after Nāgārjuna and Āchārya Āryadeva, after Tārā and Sukhasiddhī, and after Mañjushrī, all indicating his importance as an ancient source. In all cases, however, the direct recipient of his lineage was the Indian Dampa Sangye (d. 1117), who was his maternal nephew. It is Dampa Sangye (also called Pha dam pa, or Father Dampa) who apparently brought the text from India to Tibet, having translated it himself, and gave it to the translator Zhama to edit, as stated in the colophon. Dampa Sangye is sometimes misidentified as the great Indian scholar Kamalashīla (740–795) and even as the Ch’an patriarch Bodhidharma (c. late fourth to early fifth centuries). In any case, it is Dampa Sangye who is considered the forefather of the system of Pacification (''zhi byed'') and its subsidiary, Severance (''gcod'').
The actual lineage of Āryadeva's teaching, known as the “male Severance” (''pho gcod''), is presented in Jamgön Kongtrul’s catalog of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' as follows: “Pa Dampa Sangye gave Kyotön Shākya Yeshe and Yarlung Mara Serpo the autonomous Severance of the Sutra tradition, the meaning of Āryadeva’s small ''Fifty Verse'' source text, as the instructions of the Six Pieces (''gDams ngag brul tsho drug''). Kyö gave them to his own nephew, Sönam Lama. He, then, is known to have bestowed four sections to [his disciple] Machik Lapdrön.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000492-QINU`"' Many of Machik’s own compositions show the influence of this source text, which had joined with her own realizations derived from her readings of the Perfection of Wisdom sutras.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-00000493-QINU`"'
Of the six deities from whom Mitrayogin received the instructions included in this volume, Avalokiteshvara appears to be only deity for which a sādhana text is provided. The structure of the sādhana is slightly unusual in that the offering and praise sections come after the recitation of the mantra instead of before it. +
'phags pa spyan ras gzigs kyi byang chub lam gyi rim pa'i khrid kyi cha lag man ngag gser gyi thur ma rin po che'i sgron me +
In the Vajrayāna, it is the “pith instructions” an authentic vajra master gives their disciple, often in response to a particular question or to address a particular difficulty, that transform the formal instructions into a living practice. Many of them are never written down and, as is pointed out below, do not appear in any texts. It is usually to save such vital pieces of advice from being lost that they are eventually recorded in texts such as this one.
The pith instructions in this text need to be read in conjunction with the relevant sections in the two preceding texts. Some of them provide considerable extra detail to the instructions in those texts, others discuss points that are barely touched upon, and yet others condense the practice into the essential points that might otherwise be forgotten when one is concentrating on the details. +
A
Jamgön Kongtrul’s teacher and cocreator of his treasuries, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), extracted the following sections and added a structural outline and a few notes from the most important source text of the Pacification tradition for inclusion in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions''. According to his colophon, he considered these three chapters the most essential: Chapter Ten because it contains an exposition of the unique Pacification approach to the five paths, Chapter Seventeen because it contains the crucial empowerments and pledges, and Chapter Twenty-Three because it condenses the introduction, view, meditation, practice, conduct, and results of the essential meaning. He may also have chosen these three because they are the most comprehensible of this fascinating and mystifying tantra.
In his brief background of the lineage in ''The Treasury of Knowledge'': ''Esoteric Instructions'', Kongtrul cites the ''Ālikāli Inconceivable Secret Great River Tantra'' and ''Mahāmudrā Symbol Tantra'' [''the Secret in the Hearts of All Ḍākinīs''] as the two source tantras of the Pacification tradition. These were briefly explored in the general introduction. With regard to the ''Ālikāli Tantra'', Kongtrul weaves its title into this statement about Dampa’s accomplishments:
:<blockquote>The mighty lord of accomplishment Dampa Sangye mastered the semantic meaning of the unborn ''ālikāli'' and through ''inconceivable'' secrets taught countless approaches to dharma corresponding to the faculties and dispositions of beings. '"`UNIQ--ref-000002D2-QINU`"'</blockquote>
What Kongtrul only hints at with his suggestion that Dampa mastered the “semantic meaning of the unborn ''ālikāli''” (''skye med āli kāli’i sgra don'') is that practices based on the vowels (''āli'') and consonants (''kāli'') of the Sanskrit alphabet were at the heart of the teachings propounded by Dampa Sangye, brought by him from India into Tibet, and were of particularly Indian character. Each syllable or phoneme references a crucial aspect of ultimate reality while at the same time carrying mystical powers even without semantic meaning. This will be revealed, though not explained, in later texts in this volume, particularly the empowerment rituals. But in the tantra itself, these syllabary practices are laid out in great detail. This goes far beyond the use of mantras, which usually have a somewhat translatable meaning. Perhaps that is what is meant here by “unborn.”
The greater part of both of these source tantras concerns the implications of this idea. Yet for the most part, this is what Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamgön Kongtrul chose to omit. The three chapters that are included here concern mostly familiar Tibetan Buddhist concepts that could be found everywhere at the time of these two masters. The style is cryptic, though not nearly so much as many of Dampa Sangye’s more famous utterances. However, the essential ideas in these three chapters are explained in two commentaries that follow later in this volume: ''Distilled Elixir'' by Lochen Dharmashrī and ''Stainless Appearance'' by Sönam Pal.
The last (twenty-fourth) chapter of the ''Ālikāli Tantra'' and its interlinear note reveal that Dampa Sangye himself played a major role in the history of this tantra. He reconstituted three somewhat disparate sections (''dum bu'', still marked as such) of the tantra that were previously divided according to the following story. After the Buddha entrusts the tantra to various protectors, he departs for Kushinagar.
:<blockquote>Then the assembly came to the king’s palace and divided the tantra into three parts. The first eight chapters were written on leaves of the wish-fulfilling tree, then encased in a precious crystal vase. The gods summoned it and it rests inside a gandhola on the peak of Supreme Mountain. The middle section of eight chapters was written on the inner bark of the wish-fulfilling tree and encased in a precious silver amulet box. The demigods and yakṣhas summoned it and it rests in a copper house of blazing weapons midway up Supreme Mountain. The last section of eight chapters was written on blue water silk and encased in a golden box. The nāgas summoned it and it rests in the nāga storehouse at the base of Supreme Mountain. Later these three divided treasure teachings were brought together into one and written on the skin of a demoness (''srin mo'') and put into the skin bag of a white lioness. It rests in the endless knot of the secret treasury in the charnel ground of glorious Oḍḍiyāna.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002D3-QINU`"'</blockquote>
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-000002D4-QINU`"'
B
Amitāyus (''Tshe dpag med''), the buddha of infinite life, is an aspect of Buddha Amitābha (''’Od dpag med''), the buddha of infinite light, and as his name suggests, he is associated with practices that promote longevity. In these instructions, both names are used to refer to the same deity. +
''Trulkhors for the Path of Method'' and the following text, ''Eighteen Trulkhors for Caṇḍālī'', contain relatively brief descriptions of trulkhors (''yantra, ’khrul ’khor''), sometimes translated as “yogic exercises.” Trulkhors are physical movements or postures that, when combined with breathing practices and caṇḍālī visualizations, develop and enhance a practitioner’s experiences and realizations of caṇḍālī, in all its forms, from outer caṇḍālī to suchness caṇḍālī. These texts serve as reminders for those who know the practices and are not meant to be used by anyone who has not been instructed in the practices and shown the trulkhors in person.
''Trulkhors for the Path of Method ''contains the well-known six root trulkhors and the thirty-nine branch trulkhors. The trulkhors in the second text, ''Eighteen Trulkhors for Caṇḍālī'', are also well known and practiced in
the Kagyu traditions. For those who practice these yogic exercises, these are
welcome source texts.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. It is the same as previously stated for ''The Short Text''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000162-QINU`"' +
''The Instruction Manual on the Six Dharmas'' teaches the set of
meditation practices associated with the second abhiṣeka and corresponds closely to the presentation given in ''Vajra Verses'', adopting its descriptive headings for each of the six dharmas (see outline below). In both this
text and the Vajra Verses, the six dharmas are caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams,
luminosity, transference, and entering a body. The Vajra Verses contains
forty-five lines on these practices, twenty-nine of which are quoted in one
of the compared editions of this text,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000B46-QINU`"' demonstrating not only the close
connection between this text and the ''Vajra Verses''’ instructions on the practices of the secret abhiṣeka, but also showing how Milarepa’s text is a commentary on those lines of the ''Vajra Verses''. Caṇḍālī is the longest section in
''The Instruction Manual on the Six Dharmas'' (fourteen pages in Tibetan),
with the instructions on the other five dharmas being considerably shorter
(three to four pages each). This text contains the most detailed instructions
on the six dharmas of all the texts in this volume related to these practices,
which makes it very valuable as does its proximity in time to the root texts
by Vajradhara and Tilopa.
There are at least two texts by students of Milarepa that are also commentaries on these practices, as their titles suggest: Gampopa’s ''Aural Transmission of the Unequaled Dakpo Rinpoche'' and Ngamdzong’s ''From the Instructions on the Abiding-State Wish-Fulfilling Gems in the Ngamdzong Aural Transmission: Caṇḍālī, Illusory Forms, Dreams, Luminosity, Transference, and Entering a Body Connected with the Great Bliss of the Upper Door.'''"`UNIQ--ref-00000B47-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. It is the same as previously stated for The Short Text.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000B48-QINU`"' +
This feast liturgy'"`UNIQ--ref-00000612-QINU`"' is essentially the long lineage supplication found in the ''Source of All Qualities'' (pp. 309–11), the only difference being that the lines naming the place and the person are followed by “dwells in the midst of heroes and heroines: I supplicate with longing and devotion,” rather than with the four lines requesting blessings. Then the short prayer requesting the consecration of the environs for the feast is added here after the supplication. This too is nearly the same as in the ''Source of All Qualities'', where it is attributed to [[Machik]] and Rigongpa. It seems that this liturgy offers a short alternative, rather than an addition, to the extensive feast supplications in the longer liturgies. +
''Truly Valid Words'' is Tilopa’s account of teachings he received from
Vajradhara. This text is mostly known through the very common quotations of some of its verses, which are found frequently in Kagyu texts and
commentaries (where it is also referred to as the Earlier Authoritative Text).'"`UNIQ--ref-000000B8-QINU`"'
Pema Karpo calls it “the root text of the entire [Kagyu tradition],”'"`UNIQ--ref-000000B9-QINU`"' and
wrote a lengthy commentary on it, ''Clarifying the Thought of Vajradhara'',
which is the basis for this translation.
The text opens with some of its most famous verses about the gradual and
instantaneous types, the abiding states of body and of mind, and a little later
gives Tilopa’s renowned instructions on six ways to rest:
:Don’t reflect, don’t think, don’t analyze.
:Don’t meditate, don’t speculate—rest naturally settled.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BA-QINU`"'
The majority of the instructions for the instantaneous type belong to the
perfection process: caṇḍālī, karmamudrā, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity, bardo, transference, and entering a body. Thus, this text contains eight perfection-process practices, two more than the six that later became known
as “the six dharmas of Nāropa” (caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity,
bardo, and transference). In the section Pema Karpo calls instructions for
the gradual type, there are only four perfection-process practices: entering a
body, transference, dream, and bardo. All these perfection-process instructions are found in various father and mother tantras cycles, some of which are identified by Pema Karpo (see outline below).
The edition of ''Truly Valid Words'' contained here is related to an anonymously authored text of the same name included in the Derge and Cone
Tengyurs (Toh. 2331). However, this paracanonical edition has 998 lines, or
249½ four-line verses, whereas the Tengyur redaction has 222 lines, or 55½
four-line verses. In other words, only 23 percent of the DNZ Truly Valid
Words is contained in the Tengyur text redaction: lines 9–808 of DNZ
Truly Valid Words are not in the Tengyur redaction. And only 6 random
lines and 1 four-line verse of the Tengyur redaction are not contained in
DNZ Truly Valid Words. As can be seen from the topical outline provided
by Pema Karpo below, the lines not included in the Tengyur redaction
represent the part of DNZ Truly Valid Words that describes the path for
those who engage instantaneously. The Tengyur redaction only contains the
instructions for those of the gradual approach.
''Truly Valid Words'' was not included in the canon catalogs of Chomden
Raldri or Butön Rinchen Drup and is only included in the Derge and Cone
Tengyurs, not the Peking, Gaden, or Narthang, which are based on the nonextant Jingwa Taktse Tengyur.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BB-QINU`"'
Much of ''Truly Valid Words'' seems to be drawn from various tantras (Hevajra Tantra, Sampuṭa Tantra, Catuṣpīṭha Tantra, Cakrasaṃvara Tantra,
and probably others), and its lines are also found in other texts, such Nāgārjuna’s Five Processes; unfortunately, a thorough analysis of its antecedents is beyond the scope of this work. Truly Valid Words (or its sources) is also
a source for texts by Nāropa, starting with Nāropa’s Authoritative Texts in
Verse (DNZ 7:16)*'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BC-QINU`"' and including his Concise Illumination of the Five Stage,
which contains at least ten identical, or corresponding, lines, only two of
which are found in his Authoritative Texts in Verse.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BD-QINU`"'
Pema Karpo begins his commentary with the following account of the
transmission of these instructions, as he says, to inspire confidence in the
sources. Vajradhara, who resides in Akaniṣṭha, manifested as the supreme
nirmāṇakāya Buddha Śākyamuni in this impure world. Surrounded by
innumerable heroes and ḍākinīs, the Buddha spoke these vajra words out of
his love for future disciples. They were collected by Guhyapati Vajragarbha,
placed under seven seals in a dharma vault in Oḍḍiyāna and entrusted to the
ḍākinīs. Later on, parts of those teachings were brought to India through
the kindness of the collector.
The mahāmudrā instructions were received by Saraha and then passed to
Lūyipa, who gave them to Dārikapa and Ḍeṅgipa. The instructions related
to the father tantras were bestowed by the divine son Ratnamati on Nāgārjunagarbha, who gave them to Mātaṅgīpā. The mother tantra instructions
were given by Sumatī Subhaginī to Medhini (Tanglopa), *Parṇa (Shinglopa), and Vajraghaṇṭa, who resided on Mount Karṇa. The instructions
on luminosity and other practices were given by Ḍombi Heruka to the
yoginī Vinasavajra (or Bhinasavajra) and those were heard by Kambala of
Oḍḍiyāna. Then, Tilopa, having received a directive from the vajra queen
in Oḍḍiyāna, relied on Dārikapa and his brother (Ḍeṅgipa), Vajraghaṇṭa,
Mātaṅgīpā, and Kambala as his gurus.
===Outline of Truly Valid Words===
An abbreviated version of Pema Karpo’s topical outline in Clarifying the
Thought of Vajradhara is provided here as an overview of the contents of this
text.*'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BE-QINU`"' Line numbers are included in parentheses.
I. The individuals (1–8)
II. The path
:A. The path engaged instantaneously
::1. The summary (9–10)
::2. Establishing the realizations
:::a. The abiding state of entities
::::i. The abiding state of the body entity (11–19)
::::ii. The abiding state of the mind entity (20–32)
:::b. The process of the path
::::i. The maturing abhiṣekas (33–35)
::::ii. The liberating path
:::::A) The general explanation of the meditation approach of the two processes (36–41)
:::::B) Establishing the specific realizations
::::::1) The generation process (42–43)
::::::2) The perfection process
:::::::a) The overview (44–64)
:::::::b) The detailed explanation
::::::::i) Caṇḍālī: The foundation of the path
:::::::::(A) The caṇḍālī of action
::::::::::(1) Establishing the details of caṇḍālī (65–166)
::::::::::(2) An overview of explanations in the tantras
:::::::::::(a) An explanation from the Hevajra Tantra (167–70)
:::::::::::(b) An explanation from the Sampuṭa Tantra (171–78)
:::::::::::(c) An explanation from the Catuṣpīṭha Tantra (179–90)
:::::::::::(d) An explanation from the Cakrasaṃvara Tantra (191–98)
:::::::::(B) The caṇḍālī of experience or blazing (199–252)
:::::::::(C) The caṇḍālī of great realization (253–86)
::::::::ii) Karmamudrā: The enhancement of the path (287–371)
::::::::iii) Illusory forms: The life-force pole of the path (372–432)
::::::::iv) Dreams: The assessment of progress on the path (433–72)
::::::::v) Luminosity: The heart of the path (473–532)
::::::::vi) Bardo: Arriving at the end of the path through recollection (533–612)
::::::::vii) Transference: The escort on the path (613–90)
::::::::viii) Entering a body: The extender of the path (691–720)
::3. The process of development of the result
:::a. Ground unification (721–35)
:::b. Path unification (736–59)
:::c. Resultant unification (760–802)
:B. The path engaged gradually
::1. The trainings in keeping with the common yānas (803–7)
::2. The guidance on the path of the great yogas
:::a. The generation process (808)
:::b. The perfection process
::::i. The process of vajra repetition (809–10)
::::ii. The process for observing mind (811–13)
::::iii. The path of self-blessing
:::::A) The overview (817–21)
:::::B) The detailed explanation
::::::1) The process of realization (822–26)
::::::2) The process of self-consecration
:::::::a) Transference: Awakening without meditation
::::::::i) Transference using the mode of the generation process (827–45)
::::::::ii) Transference of the actual illusion (846–57)
::::::::iii) Transference into luminosity (858–71)
:::::::b) A branch of transference: Entering a body (872–80)
:::::::c) Dreams: Awakening through purifying latent tendencies (881–963)
:::::::d) Bardo: Awakening through recognizing the nature
::::::::i) Awakening in the first bardo for those of highest abilities and who have trained (964–69)
::::::::ii) Awakening in the bardo where excellent qualities are complete for those with intermediate training (970–78)
::::::::iii) Awakening in the bardo of illumination, darkness, and light for those with basic training (979–98)
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, Milarepa, and Rechungpa, who passed it
to both Gyalwa Lo and Sumpa Repa and to Burgom. Pakmo Drupa received
it from the latter and passed it to Ling Repa, who also received it from both
Gyalwa Lo and Sumpa Repa. Ling Repa bestowed it on Tsangpa Gyare,
from whom it passed to Önre Dharma Senge, Zhönu Senge, and Nyima
Senge. Ön Dorje Lingpa received it from the preceding two, who were
uncle and nephew, and it passed to Pökyawa Senge Rinchen, Senge Gyalpo,
Kunga Senge, Dorje Rinchen, Lodrö Senge, Sherap Senge, Yeshe Rinchen,
Namkha Palzang, Sherap Zangpo, Chöje Kunga Paljor, Ngakwang Chökyi
Gyalpo, and Jamyang Chökyi Drakpa, from whom both Avadhūtipa and
Ngaki Wangchuk Drakpa Gyaltsen received it. They both then passed it
to the omniscient Pema Karpo, from whom it passed to Lhatse Ngakwang
Zangpo, Paksam Wangpo, Yongdzin Kunga Lhundrup, Chökyi Wangchuk,
Gelek Zhepa, Jamgön Gyepa, Jampal Pawo, the all-seeing Chökyi Nangwa,
Gyalwang Tekchok Dorje, the omniscient Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and
Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BF-QINU`"'
The visualization of the lineage teachers described by Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk in the guru yoga section of his Notes does not, for obvious reasons, include any of the teachers who succeeded him. This text, therefore, contains the visualization details of the teachers in the lineage between Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, which are to be inserted into the description in the Notes.* It appears to have been compiled incrementally by the some of the teachers described here. There is no colophon, but the fact that Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo refers to this supplement in his teaching guide† would suggest that he or perhaps Jamgön Kongtrul added the visualizations of the two most recent lineage holders. +
''The Instruction Manual for the Shared Wish-Fulfilling Gems'' is
the first in a series of texts that amplify the Wish-Fulfilling Gems of
the Saṃvara Aural Transmission, which are presented in the ''Vajra Verses''
and ''Short Text''. This and the following text, ''The Instruction Manual on the
Six Dharmas, Which Liberate through the Upper Door'', are the longest texts
in this collection authored by Milarepa and are possibly the longest texts
authored by Milarepa. Along with a third text in ''The Treasury'' by Milarepa,
''Instructions Pointing Out the Bardos'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000A99-QINU`"' they are teachings Milarepa entrusted
to Rechungpa, which he wrote at the hermitage of Drö Puk in Nyanang (or
Nyanam),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9A-QINU`"' and signed “by Dorje Gyaltsen with love,” using the name Marpa
gave him when conferring upon him lay and bodhisattva vows.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9B-QINU`"'
In this text, Milarepa begins with a brief account of the transmission
from Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, Tilopa, Nāropa, and Marpa, incorporating
some often-quoted verses and the permission he received from Vajrayoginī
to bestow these teachings on Rechungpa.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9C-QINU`"' He then states that the Aural
Transmission teachings are divided into three parts: the characteristics of
the ācāryas, the characteristics of the disciples, and the abiding state of the
dharma. This differs slightly from the approach found in later presentations (such as the topical outline in Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden’s ''Short Text'' commentary) that begin with the threefold division into the Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Lineage, Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Maturing Path, and Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Liberating Path. Milarepa lists those three
headings under his third part, the abiding state of the dharma.
The following is an overview of Milarepa’s presentation of The Abiding
State of the Dharma with notes on the corresponding lines in the ''Vajra Verses'' and ''Short Text'' and any corresponding texts in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions''. Only the Shared Wish-Fulfilling Gems are explained in
this text.
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Lineage: The External Nirmāṇakāya Instructions*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9D-QINU`"'
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Maturing Path: The Inner Saṃbhogakāya Instructions†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9E-QINU`"'
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Liberating Path: The Secret Dharmakāya Instructions‡'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9F-QINU`"'
::Shared Wish-Fulfilling Gems: Practices Connected to the Vase Abhiṣeka§'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA0-QINU`"'
:::The Sovereigns: Unchanging Dharmatā
::::The Sādhana of the King-Like Male Consort¶'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA1-QINU`"'
::::The Sādhana of the Queen-Like Female Consort: Ten Yogas
:::::The yoga of immeasurable aspirations
:::::Guru yoga
:::::Deity meditation
:::::Purifying the worldly realms
:::::Gathering the heroes and heroines
:::::Vajra repetition with the breath
:::::Vajra repetition with speech
:::::The perfection process
:::::The mixings and equalizing tastes
:::::Tormas
::::The Sādhana of the Prince-Like Son
:::The ministers: Three types of actions
::::Guru yoga
::::Self-entered samādhi abhiṣekas
::::Recitation of the hundred-syllable mantra
:::The people: The conducive activities
::::The yoga of eating food
::::The yoga of wearing clothes
::::The yoga of sleeping
::::The yoga of going, sitting, and circumambulating
::::The yoga of bathing
::::The yoga of supplications and maṇḍala offerings
::::The yoga of amassing the accumulations and dharma activities
:Samaya Wish-Fulfilling Gems: Connected to all Four Abhiṣekas*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA2-QINU`"'
:Abiding-State Wish-Fulfilling Gems: Connected to the Three Superior
::Abhiṣekas
::Six Dharmas: Practices Connected to the Secret Abhiṣeka†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA3-QINU`"'
::Great Bliss: Practices Connected to the Prajñājñāna Abhiṣeka‡'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA4-QINU`"'
:::Mahāmudrā, the Illumination of Wisdom: Practices Connected to the Word Abhiṣeka§'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA5-QINU`"'
::Instructions on the bardos¶'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA6-QINU`"'
::Dispelling hindrances**'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA7-QINU`"'
:::Instructions for those of an instantaneous path: Transforming all activities into accumulations††'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA8-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. It is the same as previously stated for The Short Text.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA9-QINU`"'
C
The significance of Tilopa’s ''Esoteric Instructions on the Six Dharmas'' is twofold: it contains his instructions on the six dharmas, and
it identifies which instructions he received from which human teachers.
As stated earlier, the biographies of Tilopa vary on the sequence of the
major events of his life. However, if we accept the account in the ''Biographies of the Wish-Fulfilling Gems'', Tilopa first relied on human gurus, as he says:
<blockquote>I have these human gurus:<br>
Nāgārjuna, Caryāpā, Lavapa,<br>
and Subhaginī,<br>
who are the gurus of my four entrusted transmissions.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E4-QINU`"'</blockquote>
He also said later in his life:
<blockquote>I have no human guru:<br>
my guru is the Omniscient One.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E5-QINU`"'</blockquote>
And finally, he proclaimed:
<blockquote>I have neither father nor mother:<br>
I am Cakrasaṃvara, sublime bliss.<br>
I have neither preceptor nor ācārya:<br>
I am a self-born buddha.<br>
I have neither grammar nor valid cognition:<br>
my science of reasoning wells up on its own.<br>
The body, speech, and mind of Saṃvara<br>
and my body, speech, and mind are inseparable.<br>
I go in great bliss.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E6-QINU`"'</blockquote>
''Esoteric Instructions on the Six Dharmas'' records the instructions Tilopa
received from Caryāpā, Nāgārjuna, Lavapa, and Subhaginī, or Sukhasiddhi.
The text does not name the instructions, but they are identifiable as follows,
paired with the teacher and in the order that they appear in this text:
*Caryāpā caṇḍālī instructions
*Nāgārjuna illusory form instructions
*Lavapa dream instructions
*Nāgārjuna luminosity instructions
*Sukhasiddhi bardo instructions
*Sukhasiddhi transference instructions
Curiously, even though this text is clear about the sources of these instructions, subsequent accounts in the biographies of Tilopa do not concur with it or necessarily each other.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E7-QINU`"'
''Esoteric Instructions on the Six Dharmas'' is not included in the canon
catalogs of Chomden Raldri or Butön Rinchen Drup, though it is included
in one of the two canon catalogs of the third Karmapa and is found in five
Tengyur redactions (Peking, Gaden, Derge, Cone, and Narthang).
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges
Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000E8-QINU`"'
Draklha, an aspect of the dharma protector Mahākāla, is the protector associated with all the teachings transmitted by Mitrayogin. He has already featured in the Avalokiteshvara sādhana in chapter 15. The present text is a sādhana dedicated entirely to him, but it would normally be practiced within a yidam deity sādhana, perhaps along with other prayers and offerings to the dharma protectors. In any case, it is necessary to visualize oneself as one’s yidam deity before visualizing the protector in front of oneself, making offerings, and entrusting him with the activities of guarding the teachings and protecting those who practice them. +
D
This'"`UNIQ--ref-0000061B-QINU`"' is the last of the addenda to the Severance feast activities in the [[Zurmang]] tradition that seem to be connected to [[Tekchok Dorje]]’s compilation ''Source of All Qualities''. It is a beautiful and quite graphic text, but unfortunately there is no author statement identifying the poet.
Torma (''gtor ma'') is literally “that which is thrown out or scattered,” and it refers to the custom of creating sculpture out of flour or other malleable material that represents either the offerings in the ritual or the recipient of those offerings, such as the deities. The creation of torma is a vast and elaborate art form in vajrayāna practice. In particular, the torma at a feast offering may be represented by one or more feast torma sculptures and supplemented with many other edibles, or the edible offerings themselves may simply be designated as the feast torma. That seems to be the case here, where the “torma” is one’s body that has been separated from consciousness and creatively prepared in imagination for the various recipients.
In this liturgy, those recipients are specifically all [[ḍākinī]]s—hundreds of thousands of them—affectionately called ''ḍākimas'' here. The principal one is [[Vajravārāhī]], who always plays an important role in Severance. She is goddess, yidam, [[ḍākinī]], lineage holder, and one’s own consciousness. Designated here as “the birth mother of the buddhas,” she is identical to the Great Mother, the [[perfection of wisdom]]. A hundred thousand [[ḍākinī]]s emanate from each aspect of her body and her accessories. But there are trillions more [[ḍākinī]]s of basic space, trillions more from the twenty-four sacred sites of India, and many, many others. All of them are invoked to receive the feast torma and then reminded about their sacred pledges. Finally, their powers are commandeered to avert all kinds of calamities, disease, and just plain bad luck. +
Dam chos sdug bsngal zhi byed dang gcod yul brgyud pa'i bla ma rnams chab gcig tu mchod cing gsol ba 'debs pa'i cho ga bkra shis grags pa'i snying po +
Styled as an offering and supplication to all the gurus of both Severance and Pacification, this text provides a great example of how such a liturgy can be so much more. Here is [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] at his creative best, with nearly all the prayers being original compositions. Within the refrains of supplication and service, not only are all the relevant lineage gurus worshipped, but the various practices are as well, if one knows where to look. The text could serve as a communal ritual or “guru pūja” covering all the bases, and would be both inspirational and informative.
The text was placed at the end of the previous volume on Pacification (''zhi byed'') in the Palpung blocks, but it was appropriately moved in the Shechen printing to the end of this volume on Severance. In [[Jamgön Kongtrul]]’s scheme of the [[Eight Great Chariot]]s of the practice lineages that entered Tibet from India—the organizational framework for this ''Treasury of Precious Instructions''— Pacification is listed as the sixth, with Severance considered a subsidiary of that. Both lineages connect back to the Indian saint [[Pa Dampa Sangye]]. This liturgical ritual is the grand finale covering all the gurus and practices of both Pacification and Severance. +
Dampa Sangye gives Bodhisattva Kunga advice about how to prepare for and practice in the future, when the times are rife with degeneration. It echoes many such prophetic texts, with a long litany of dreadful circumstances and perversions, many of which are already familiar to us. Kunga plays the role of an innocent, unable to believe that it will be so bad. Surely, if they follow this dharma, future disciples will be saved! Dampa offers little comfort. His final answer will be quite a surprise.
This text is not mentioned in Kongtrul’s catalog nor in the ''Record of Teachings Received''. Instead, the two aspiration prayers—Dampa’s Thirty and Kunga’s Thirteen—that appear now with the ''Golden Garland'' were apparently how he meant to end this section on instructions. Nor is this text found in the ''Zhije Collection'' or Tengyur texts. A few of the Q&As made their way much later into Khamnyön’s Life Story of Dampa, but no early paper trail has made an appearance. One can only assume that it was recorded or remembered by Bodhisattva Kunga. +
Maitrīpa (986–1063)'"`UNIQ--ref-0000012F-QINU`"' was a scholar and siddha whose mahāmudrā
teachings had a major impact in Tibet, primarily through the teachings of his student Vajrapāṇi. Maitrīpa was, along with Nāropa, one of
Marpa Lotsāwa’s most important teachers. He began his Buddhist studies after being defeated in debate by Nāropa, whereupon he studied sūtra
teachings with Nāropa for twenty years, Vajrayāna with Rāgavajra for five
years, and the Nonexistent Images'"`UNIQ--ref-00000130-QINU`"' form of Yogācāra with Ratnākaraśānti.
Urged in his dreams by Tārā, then by Avalokiteśvara, in his early fifties he
set out to meet his guru Śavari. Once he found Śavari in the Śrī Parvata
mountains in the south of India, Maitrīpa was instructed by him in a variety
of unconventional ways that eventually led to his full realization. Told by
his guru to return to central India, Maitrīpa, now known as Advayavajra,
took up residence in Bodh Gaya where he taught and also defeated all challengers in debate. Later, while living in the charnel ground called Blazing Fire Mountain, he composed the series of texts called the Dharma Cycle
on Amanasikāra (Nonattention),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000131-QINU`"' in which he blended the mahāmudrā
teachings he received from Śavaripa (who received them from Nāgārjuna,
Saraha’s student) with his Complete Nonabiding Madhyamaka view.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000132-QINU`"'
The ''Ten Stanzas on Suchness'' begins with a homage that states what suchness (''tattva, de kho na nyid'') is not: it is neither existent nor nonexistent. This is followed by a statement that it is of the nature of awakening; in other words,
suchness is no different from buddhahood. The text says that it is realized
through the “samādhi of [realizing suchness] as it is” (''yathābhūtasamādhi,ji ltar ’byung ba’i ting nge ’dzin'') and describes the conduct for yogic practitioners with realization. In his commentary on this text, Maitrīpa’s student,
Sahajavajra, says that it was “composed as concise esoteric instructions on the Pāramitā[yāna] that accords with the Mantra approach.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000133-QINU`"' Although the
text does not use the term “mahāmudrā,” Jamgön Kongtrul explains in his
interlinear note to the colophon that Marpa considered this text to be the
primary one of the Amanasikāra (Nonattention) Cycle that teaches view.
Sahajavajra’s ''Extensive Commentary on the “Ten Stanzas on Suchness”'' is cited
by Gö Lotsāwa in his ''Blue Annals'' as evidence that mahāmudrā was taught
within a Sūtra, or Pāramitā, context in India.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000134-QINU`"'
The colophon of the ''Ten Stanzas on Suchness'' contained in ''The Treasury of
Precious Instructions'' states that it was translated by Vajrapāṇi and Tsur Yeshe
Jungne,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000135-QINU`"' who were the first translators of the text before it was revised by
Tsultrim Gyalwa. Thus, this edition is not the one contained in the Tengyur,
which is the one revised by Tsultrim Gyalwa. The text here also accords
with the root text used in Sahajavajra’s commentary, which was translated
by Vajrapāṇi, Kalyanavarma, and Tsur Jñānākara (Yeshe Jungne).
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Maitrīpa to the Indian
Vajrapāṇi, Ngari Nakpo Sherde, Lama Sotön, Nyangtön Tsakse, Roktön
Dewa, Che Yönten, Che Dode Senge, Chöku Özer, Upa Sangye Bum,
Lotsāwa Chokden, Baktön Zhönu Tsultrim, and Gyalwa Yung Tönpa,
Lama Sönam Zangpo, Lama Tsultrim Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen,
Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, Gośrī Paljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang
Karmapa, Chödrak Gyatso, the mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth
lord Mikyö Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, Chetsang
Karma Tenkyong, the exalted Könchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso,
the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje, Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious Pawo
Tsuklak Chökyi Gyatso, and Jamgön Kongtrul.
Another transmission was from Maitrīpa to the siddhā Tepupa, Rechung
Dorje Drakpa, Burgom Nakpo, Pakdru Dorje Gyalpo, Gyalo Pukpa, Serdingpa Zhönu Drup, and the omniscient Chöku Özer, after whom it is as
above.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000136-QINU`"'
The ''Treasury of Dohās'', the second dohā text in this collection, is
also probably by Saraha. The author is referred to in the colophon as
Śavari (or Śabari), whom some take to be Śavaripa, Saraha’s student and
Maitrīpa’s guru.* However, the colophons of the editions of this text found
in the Tengyur, the Indian Mahāmudrā Collection, and the Eightfold Treasury of Dohās volume of the Tsibri Parma Collection state that the author
is Saraha, and that attribution has been followed here.† We don’t know the
circumstances of this song, who it was first sung to, but we do know that it
was translated into Tibetan by Vairocanarakṣita, a teacher of Lama Zhang
(himself a student of Gampopa and Gomtsul, as well as the initiator of the
Tsalpa Kagyu tradition).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000059-QINU`"'
The ''Treasury of Dohās'' contains instructions on mahāmudrā, which follow a common theme of ground, path, and result, with path being expressed in terms of view, meditation, and conduct. The Tsibri Parma Collection
edition includes annotations that are a topical outline, which have been
inserted into the translation in square brackets to aid readers.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Śavaripa to Maitrīpa,
Indian Vajrapāṇi, Drangti Lodrö Wang, Tsangyang Dakbar, Pukzung
Kyap, Tsang Jungser, Chetön Dode Senge, Chöku Özer, Upa Sangye Bum,
Lotsāwa Chokden, Baktön Zhönu Tsultrim, Yung Tönpa, Lama Sönam
Zangpo, Lama Tsultrim Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Khenchen
Sönam Zangpo, Gośrī Paljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa,
Chödrak Gyatso, the mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth lord Mikyö
Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, Chetsang Karma Tenkyong, the exalted Könchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso, the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje, Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious Pawo Tsuklak
Chökyi Gyatso, and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000005A-QINU`"' +
Saraha is regarded as the grandfather of the mahāmudrā tradition.
There are various tales of his colorful life, attested to in the songs
attributed to him.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001A-QINU`"' These songs, also called dohās (after the name of the
meter of verse), are spicy, inspiring, and instructive though at times cryptic.
Among the twenty-six texts in the Tengyur attributed to Saraha, eighteen
are songs, and within those the most famous are the Dohā Trilogy: Dohā for
the King, Dohā for the Queen,and Dohā for the People. These are said to have
been sung to King Mahāpāla, his queens, and his people. The one chosen
for this anthology is the longest, traditionally said to be 160 verses, whose
purpose was to set the common people on the true path.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001B-QINU`"'
Karma Tinle, a fifteenth-century Kagyu master and author of commentaries on the Dohā Trilogy, relates the circumstances leading up to these
songs as follows. Saraha, born into a brahman family in south India, took
monastic vows from Rāhulabhadra and became a great paṇḍita, learned in
all areas of knowledge and known as Brahman Rāhula. He was greatly honored at that time by King Mahāpāla. At one point, in order to train those
of the instantaneous type, Hayagrīva took the form of the bodhisattva Ratnamati, who manifested as a female arrowsmith specifically to benefit the
great Brahman Rāhula. Saraha encountered her making arrows in a marketplace and, intrigued by the focused way she worked, asked her if she
was a female arrowsmith. She replied that the intent of the Buddha is only
recognized through symbols and methods, not through words and letters,
at which point the meaning of the ḍākinī’s symbols arose in his mind. Since
he was liberated instantly by the symbols of the arrow, he became known as Saraha.*'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001C-QINU`"'
Recognizing her skill as a teacher of symbols, Saraha stayed with
her as a fellow practitioner of yoga. Saying such things as, “Until yesterday
I was not a brahman, but from today on I am a brahman,” he departed for
charnel grounds, where they conducted gaṇacakras and sang vajra songs.
When the local people of the kingdom heard that the one formally
known as Brahman Rāhula was singing vajra songs, keeping company with
the female arrowsmith, and living in charnel grounds, they were shocked
and outraged, saying he had not only fallen from his pure monastic conduct, but he was also wandering about in the company of a woman of a bad
caste, engaging in depraved conduct. When King Mahāpāla heard this, he
issued an edict that his subjects should supplicate the great Brahman to
renounce his inferior conduct and return to his pure conduct for the sake
of the people of the kingdom. In response, Saraha sang the words that have
become known as the Dohā for the King, Dohā for the Queen, and Dohā for
the People.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001D-QINU`"'
Since this was originally sung, at some point it was written down in
an eastern dialect of Apabhraṃśa, a Middle Indic language.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001E-QINU`"' The Tibetan
accounts of the formation of the trilogy and its scribes vary. Karma Tinle
reports that some say that when Saraha sang of his experiences, the song
was not divided into shorter and longer sets of verses (that is, it was one
long song) and that later, when Saraha’s student Nāgārjuna wrote down the
verses, he divided it into three songs. Karma Tinle also relates that others
believe that it was Śavari who, having heard the songs from Nāgārjuna, wrote
them down for the benefit of his student Maitrīpa. However, Karma Tinle
says the first explanation is to be regarded as authoritative.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001F-QINU`"' On the other
hand, Chomden Raldri, a thirteenth-century Kadampa teacher and author
of a commentary on the Dohā for the People, relates that Saraha taught the
Dohā for the People to Padmavajra, Nāgārjuna, and Śavari, and that it was
composed at Padmavajra’s request.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000020-QINU`"'
Some time later it was translated into Tibetan. Karma Tinle states that
the edition of the Dohā for the People he used for his commentary was
translated into Tibetan by the Nepali master Balpo Asu based on an Indic
manuscript belonging to his teacher Vajrapāṇi.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000021-QINU`"' The Sakya scholar Drakpa Dorje reports there were three translations of the Dohā for the People into Tibetan: one by Atiśa and Naktso, one by Ma Lotsāwa Chöbar, and one
by Balpo Asu. Chomden Raldri says that it was translated by Nyal Tengpa
Lotsāwa.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000022-QINU`"' Since neither the edition of the Dohā for the People in The Treasury of Precious Instructions nor the edition in the Tengyur contain the name
of the translator, we do not know if they should be considered editions of
the same text by one translator or represent different translations. There are,
as would be expected, a number of other paracanonical editions, the oldest
datable one being a xylograph edition printed by Lhatsun Rinchen Namgyal in 1543, whose colophon says it was translated by Balpo Asu.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000023-QINU`"'
Karma Tinle in his commentary on the Dohā for the People says that there
were three traditions of explaining Saraha’s Dohā Trilogy: The Bal tradition
coming from what Balpo Asu received from Vajrapāṇi, the Rechung tradition based on what Rechungpa heard from Balpo Asu and Tipupa, and the
Par tradition derived from what Ngari Joden transmitted to Drushulwa.
The Rechung tradition also developed into the Kar tradition (named after
Karmapa Rangjung Dorje) and the Ling tradition (so-called because of
Ling Repa’s commentary, who studied with Rechungpa’s students).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000024-QINU`"' This
translation is based on the commentaries listed in chapter 2, note 1, with the
primary reliance being on Karma Tinle’s commentary, Mirror That Reveals
the Liberation of Mind (which closely follows Parpuwa Lodrö Senge’s Illuminating the Connate), and Ling Repa’s Clarifying Suchness. Reliance on
the Apabhraṃśa edition or other commentators would obviously produce
a different translation.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Saraha to Śavaripa,
Ngulchu Bairo, the exalted Dusum Khyenpa, Rechen Sönam Drakpa,
Pomdrakpa Sönam Dorje, Karma Pakshi, Nyenre Gendun Bum, the
exalted Rangjung Dorje, Yung Tönpa, Lama Sönam Zangpo, Lama Tsultrim Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, Gośrī
Paljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa, Chödrak Gyatso, the
mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth lord Mikyö Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, Chetsang Karma Tenkyong, the exalted
Könchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso, the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje,
Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious Pawo Tsuklak Chökyi Gyatso, and
Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000025-QINU`"'