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''Mahāmudrā: Path of a Single Stride'' is … ''Mahāmudrā: Path of a Single Stride'' is not included in Gampopa’sCollected Works and nothing seems to be known of its provenanceother than that its colophon says that Gampopa transmitted it to DusumKhyenpa.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AA-QINU`"' This text, in a few words, describes, as its title says, “the path ofa single stride,” a phrase often used in mahāmudrā texts to refer to the everpresent, indivisible quality of mahāmudrā, the nature of mind. Dakpo Tashi Namgyal explains:<blockquote>Mahāmudrā, the essence of dharmatā, is a path of a single stride. Since dharmatā cannot be divided in terms of its essence, it is said that on the level of the definitive meaning, it is not possible to delineate the stages of bhūmis and paths.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AB-QINU`"'</blockquote> Thus, the phrase also refers to how the instantaneous type of practitionerattains realization all at once based on mahāmudrā pith instructions. Theconcise and often paradoxical style of the text, while clear on its own, lendsitself well to being the basis for commentary, oral or written.''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Gampopa to Dusum Khyenpa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AC-QINU`"'for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AC-QINU`"' +
''Obtained in Front of a Stūpa'' is a mahā … ''Obtained in Front of a Stūpa'' is a mahāmudrā instruction based ontwo passages taken from the ''Guhyasamāja Tantra'', which accordingto Drakpa Gyaltsen form the basis for Saraha’s ''Treasury of Couplets'' andNāgārjuna’s ''Commentary on Bodhicitta''. Relatively brief, the main focus ofthe text is identifying the nature of the mind, free from arising, abiding, andceasing—an inexpressible union of clarity and emptiness. Amezhap’s ''EffortlessAccomplishment of the Two Benefits'' does not specify a deity to meditateon with this instruction, which may account for its usage in other Sakyasystems when explaining the meditation of mahāmudrā. He outlines thetext in five topics: (1) ascertaining the view, (2) accumulating merit, (3),controlling the mind, (4), introduction to reality, and (5) post-realizationconduct.Drakpa Gyaltsen’s account of the origin of this instruction begins withNāgārjuna resisting the amorous advances of the queen of King DejöZangpo,2 much to her anger and subsequent false accusations. Accompaniedby Āryadeva, Nāgārjuna flees south to Śrī Parvata, in the region ofAndhra Pradesh, where he meets his guru, Saraha, in front of a stupa. Amezhapadds the small detail of Saraha asking them, “Have you not ascertainedthe mind?”Saraha is an elusive figure of great importance in Tibetan Buddhism.He is the direct source for the ''Laghusaṃvara''3 and instrumental in transmittingthe Guhyasamāja to Nāgārjuna.4 Amezhap gives one account ofSaraha in the ''Amazing Storehouse of Jewels'', a history of Guhyasamāja, inwhich Saraha is described as one of four sons of a brahmin, who ordainswith Arhat Rāhula, the Buddha’s son, taking the name Rāhulabhadra. Hebecomes the abbot of Vikramśila. Rāhulabhadra hears that a king fromSouth India named Visukalpa has retrieved the ''Guhyasamāja Tantra'' andothers from a yoginī in Oḍḍiyāna. Rāhulabhadra requests teachings fromVisukalpa, receives them, practices them, and becomes renowned as Saraha.5 The ''Amazing Storehouse of Jewels'' further relates that Nāgārjuna waseight years of age when he first meets Saraha/Rāhulabhadra at Nālandā,who grants him novice ordination. Later, Nāgārjuna fully ordains underSaraha/Rāhulabhadra, and receives the empowerment of Guhyasamāja andthe explanation of the path.hyasamāja and the explanation of the path. +
''Rainfall of Desirables'' is a supplement … ''Rainfall of Desirables'' is a supplement to the liturgy that immediately follows it, ''The Body Donation and Feeding Ritual''. The two are listed under one heading in the Shechen edition and were apparently compiled together in this form by [[Karma Chakme]] Rinpoche, which may be why it is attributed to [[Karma Chakme]] in the Kundeling printing. However, they are listed separately in the ''Catalog''.This text is signed [[Könchok Bang]] ([[dkon mchog 'bangs]]), the ordination name of the [[Fifth Zhamar]] incarnation, [[Könchok Yenlak]] ([[dkon mchog yan lag]], 1525–1583). He was the student and successor of the [[Eighth Karmapa]], [[Mikyö Dorje]] ([[Mi bskyod rdo rje]], 1507–1554), himself a very important author in the Severance tradition. [[Könchok Yenlak]] was a prolific master whose commentaries on such works as the ''Ornament of Clear Realization'' (''[[Abhisamayālaṃkāra]]'') and ''[[The Profound Inner Principles]]'' (''[[Zab mo nang don]]'') are widely consulted. He authored several other texts on Severance that are listed in the Drepung Catalog, as well as providing the groundwork for a number of compositions on Severance by [[Karma Chakme]].''Rainfall of Desirables'' contains some very practical instructions on the Severance practice that are not always found in other explanations: for example, what time of day or night to travel to and from the Severance practice locations; how to get there using various gaits; which apparitions are easy to deal with and which are difficult; how to prevent hail; and what to do in other specific challenging situations. The descriptions of the visualizations are quite brief, and many of the recitations are merely indicated by a few words. The full text of these can be found in ''The Body Donation and Feeding Ritual''.Aside from this useful information, what is most interesting about the text is that it appears to be based on a mysterious text called ''[[Machik]]’s Vajra Verses'' (''[[Ma gchig gi rdo rje tshig rkang]]''). ''Rainfall of Desirables'' provides numerous intriguing quotations from that source, as does ''The Body Donation and Feeding Ritual''. Other than these two texts and one brief mention in ''[[Machik’s Complete Explanation]]'','"`UNIQ--ref-000005B2-QINU`"' this seemingly crucial source text has not surfaced.ngly crucial source text has not surfaced. +
''The Dharma Connection with the Six Gatek … ''The Dharma Connection with the Six Gatekeepers'' is a fascinatingcycle, as it is one of the few texts we have in the Sakya tradition thatrecords Drokmi’s personal interactions with his gurus at Vikramaśīla. Inorder, the six paṇḍitas are Ratnākaraśānti, Prajñākaragupta, Jñānaśrīmitra,Ratnavajra, Vāgīśvarakīrti, and Naropa (all late tenth to mid-eleventhcenturies). ''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''. Thereappear to be no Tibetan commentaries on them, other than the summariesby Kunga Drölchok.2Ameshap’s ''Ocean That Gathers Excellent Explanations'' relates that whenDrokmi is studying Sanskrit in the Katmandhu Valley, he requests theempowerments of Hevajra, Cakrasaṃvara, Guhyasamāja, Bhairava, andMahāmaya from the Nepali paṇḍita, Śāntibhadra. Drokmi studies withŚāntibhadra for one year, excelling in his studies and earning the title “translator.”Preparing to leave for India, Śāntibhadra encourages Drokmi and hiscompanions to head for Vikramaśīla after they pay respects at Bodhgaya. Hetells 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.3Amezhap tells us that Drokmi studied under Śantipa for a total of eighteenyears, receiving teachings in Vinaya and Prajñāparamitā, including Śantipa’sown commentary on the ''Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-FiveThousand Lines''.4 After these studies, Drokmi received Cakrasaṃvara and otherempowerments from Śantipa as well as the special instruction, ''MergingSutra and Tantra''. Drokmi then makes dharma connections with the otherfive 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 conversationbetween Śantipa and Drokmi, and then provides a method of practicefor the verse that Ratnākaraśānti utters. Amezhap furthers notes that Ratnākaraśāntiexplains his view according to the path of the Mind Only schooland he practices the creation stage according to the Buddhajñāpāda system.The person who authored the attached meditation instruction as well asthe remaining texts is not recorded, but it resembles the style of the eightancillary path cycles.The rest of the cycle begins with an interlude and a title list of the fivepaṇḍitas with whom Drokmi makes dharma connections. While Naropa’sand Vāgīśvarakīrti’s texts are listed first, they actually come last. Firstis ''The Trio for Removing Obstructions by Prajñākaragupta, Jñānaśrī, andRatnavajra''.We know very little about Prajñākaragupta of Oḍḍiyāna, Jñānaśrīmitraof Kashmir, and Ratnavajra other than their works in the Tengyur. Thesethree 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 intowriting 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 isdirectly attributed to Vāgīśvarakīrti; the second part is a somewhat detaileddescription of how to meditate in connection with the pledged deity, Hevajra.Notable in the lineage is the presence of Khyungpo Naljor, the founderof the Shangpa Kagyu.The final section in this cycle is Naropa’s ''Mahāmudrā That Removes theThree Sufferings''. Naropa himself needs no introduction. Like the Ratnākaraśāntitext that begins the cycle, this text also presents a dialogue withDrokmi. No author is given for the final text, but there is a note that theoriginal text was somewhat unclear, and this text represents a reorganizationof the original text on behalf of an aristocratic woman named Trinle Kyi.of an aristocratic woman named Trinle Kyi. +
''The Eight Special Appendices'' is very d … ''The Eight Special Appendices'' is very different in style from the other two sets. More like a guide, it is the only one that seems to present a progressive practice rather than a loose collection of topics. The first four sections are divided into subcategories that contain not only descriptions but actual liturgy to be used in the practice, as well as citations from the source teachings, inevitably the Perfection of Wisdom sutras. Indeed, this text is the only one attributed to Machik Lapdrön or any early source in which one can recognize the implementation of the practice of Severance as we have come to know it. The fact that there is only this one brings up interesting questions on the development of the Severance practice and the relationship of later liturgical texts with the “original” teachings by Machik Lapdrön and the other early masters in the lineage.nd the other early masters in the lineage. +
''The Essential Bundle'' is the third of t … ''The Essential Bundle'' is the third of the “bundles,” attributed everywhere to Machik Lapdrön, and might be considered the innermost or secret version, as indicated by the word “essence” (''nying''). However, it seems rather to be a summation and a systematic presentation of what is in the other bundles; the title might have been translated as “The Essence of the Bundles.” Unlike the other two, it has a structural outline and uses scriptural citations to back up the main points. It even cites Machik herself, using the respectful “Lady Mother” (''ma jo mo''), which would be a highly unusual way for Machik to refer to herself. It appears, therefore, to be written by someone else, perhaps an early commentator such as Jamyang Gönpo.n early commentator such as Jamyang Gönpo. +
''The Instruction Manual for the Shared Wi … ''The Instruction Manual for the Shared Wish-Fulfilling Gems'' isthe first in a series of texts that amplify the Wish-Fulfilling Gems ofthe Saṃvara Aural Transmission, which are presented in the ''Vajra Verses''and ''Short Text''. This and the following text, ''The Instruction Manual on theSix Dharmas, Which Liberate through the Upper Door'', are the longest textsin this collection authored by Milarepa and are possibly the longest textsauthored 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 entrustedto Rechungpa, which he wrote at the hermitage of Drö Puk in Nyanang (orNyanam),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9A-QINU`"' and signed “by Dorje Gyaltsen with love,” using the name Marpagave him when conferring upon him lay and bodhisattva vows.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9B-QINU`"'In this text, Milarepa begins with a brief account of the transmissionfrom Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, Tilopa, Nāropa, and Marpa, incorporatingsome often-quoted verses and the permission he received from Vajrayoginīto bestow these teachings on Rechungpa.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000A9C-QINU`"' He then states that the AuralTransmission teachings are divided into three parts: the characteristics ofthe ācāryas, the characteristics of the disciples, and the abiding state of thedharma. 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 threeheadings under his third part, the abiding state of the dharma.The following is an overview of Milarepa’s presentation of The AbidingState 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 inthis 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`"'e Short Text.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AA9-QINU`"' +
''The Instruction Manual on the Six Dharma … ''The Instruction Manual on the Six Dharmas'' teaches the set ofmeditation 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 thistext and the Vajra Verses, the six dharmas are caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams,luminosity, transference, and entering a body. The Vajra Verses containsforty-five lines on these practices, twenty-nine of which are quoted in oneof the compared editions of this text,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000B46-QINU`"' demonstrating not only the closeconnection 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 instructionson 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 textsby 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`"'e Short Text.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000B48-QINU`"' +
''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumin … ''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom'', thefirst of several texts by Milarepa in this anthology, is a slightly longerprose version of the last section, or short text, included in the ''Three Cyclesof Illumination and Other Instructions'' found later in this volume.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000098-QINU`"' This textbegins with verses that recount Milarepa’s lineage and way of practicing, asdoes the first section of the ''Three Cycles of Illumination''—they are, in fact,almost identical.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000099-QINU`"'It may be that the use of the word “root” in the title here signifies thatthis text is the source text for other instructions with similar titles. Volume8 of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' contains two texts with similartitles: in the Rechung Aural Transmission, ''Mahāmudrā: The Illumination ofWisdom in the Saṃvara Aural Transmission'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000009A-QINU`"' and, in the Ngamdzong AuralTransmission, ''Instructions That Are the Secret Pointing Out of Mahāmudrā:The Illumination of Wisdom''.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000009B-QINU`"'''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Milarepa to Gampopa,and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000009C-QINU`"'es Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000009C-QINU`"' +
''The Unsullied State, A Monarch of Tantra … ''The Unsullied State, A Monarch of Tantras,'' the sole Kangyur selection in the four Marpa Kagyu volumes, is also the first text in the seventh Karmapa’s Indian Mahāmudrā Collection, where it is also the only textincluded from the Kangyur. ''The Unsullied State'' is part of the Cakrasaṃvaracycle and is the last of the thirty-two Rali tantras, the only one of that cyclethat all Tibetan Kangyur catalogers and compilers agreed was authentic.*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' Its colophon states that it is a section of a larger text, the ''Monarch of Tantras Called “Endowed with the Means to Realize Glorious Sacred Bliss,”'' a text thatdoes not seem to exist at this time. ''The Unsullied State'' is also included in theTen Dharmas of Mahāmudrā, a collection Gö Lotsāwa says was transmittedto Tibet by the eleventh-century Indian master Vajrapāṇi,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' which, as RogerJackson observes,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' is probably the source of its Mahāmudrā canonical status.Even though the term “mahāmudrā” does not appear in this text (and itdoes in other tantras, such as the ''Hevajra Tantra, Cakrasaṃvara, Kālacakra,Guhyasamāja,'' and the ''Name-Chanting of Mañjuśrī''), as the interlinear noteat the end of this edition says, this text states and connects the elements ofthe elaborate practices with mahāmudrā, unelaborate suchness.In Maitrīpa’s biography it is said that Śavaripa “spoke a few words” aboutthis text, which is called space-like, along with the ocean-like ''GuhyasamājaTantra,'' the wisdom-like ''Hevajra Tantra'', and the blessing-like ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' Jamgön Kongtrul cites three lineages of transmission for thistext, all beginning with Vajradhara. The third, which Maitrīpa passed toVajrapāṇi, continued through the seventh Karmapa and is the one JamgönKongtrul received.There is one Tibetan commentary by Kumāracandra (eleventh century)on this text found in the Tengyur and in the Indian Mahāmudrā Collection,which was referred to in the preparation of this translation. Unfortunately,it does not provide as much clarification as a text of this nature requires.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"'''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Ratnamati,the great brahman Saraha, the glorious protector Ārya Nāgārjuna, themahāsiddha Śavaripa, the master Maitrīpa, and to Marpa Chökyi Lodrö.Another transmission was from Vajradhara to Nairātmyā, Nāgārjuna,Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, Metön Sönam Gyaltsen, Tsakyapa Śākya Yeshe,Gya Yönten Zangpo, Khampa Śākya Dorje, Upa Sangye Bum, LotsāwaChokden, Lama Palden Senge, Butön Rinchen Drup, and Yungtön Dopal.And yet another transmission was from Maitrīpa to the Indian Vajrapāṇi,Ngari Nakpo Sherde, Lama Sotön, Nyangtön Tsakse, Roktön Dewa, CheYönten, Che Dode Senge, Chöku Özer, Upa Sangye Bum, Lotsāwa Chokden, Baktön Zhönu Tsultrim, and Gyalwa Yung Tönpa.The transmission continued to Lama Sönam Zangpo, Lama TsultrimGönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, GośrīPaljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso, themahāsiddha 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, andJamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'gön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"' +
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. It is the same as previously stated for ''The Short Text''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000156-QINU`"' +
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön … ''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. RangjungDorje to Yung Tönpa, Rolpai Dorje, Khachö Wangpo, DezhinShekpa, Drung Mase Lodrö Rinchen, Chöpal Yeshe, Lodrö Drakpa, JatangLodrö Gyatso, Döndrup Tashi, Lekshe Drayang, Lodrö Namgyal, SangyeRinchen, Drung Rinpoche Kunga Namgyal, Garwang Karma Tenkyong,Sönam Gyurme, Könchok Tenzin, Drupgyu Tenpa Namgyal, SungrapGyatso, Chökyi Jungne, Gelek Rapgye, Drung Gyurme Tenpal, TenzinGelek Nyima, and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000577-QINU`"'gön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000577-QINU`"' +
''Trulkhors for the Path of Method'' and t … ''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 inthe Kagyu traditions. For those who practice these yogic exercises, these arewelcome source texts.''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. It is the same as previously stated for ''The Short Text''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000162-QINU`"'Short Text''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000162-QINU`"' +
''Truly Valid Words'' is Tilopa’s account … ''Truly Valid Words'' is Tilopa’s account of teachings he received fromVajradhara. This text is mostly known through the very common quotations of some of its verses, which are found frequently in Kagyu texts andcommentaries (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`"' andwrote 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 andinstantaneous types, the abiding states of body and of mind, and a little latergives 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 theperfection 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 knownas “the six dharmas of Nāropa” (caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity,bardo, and transference). In the section Pema Karpo calls instructions forthe gradual type, there are only four perfection-process practices: entering abody, 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 ConeTengyurs (Toh. 2331). However, this paracanonical edition has 998 lines, or249½ four-line verses, whereas the Tengyur redaction has 222 lines, or 55½four-line verses. In other words, only 23 percent of the DNZ Truly ValidWords is contained in the Tengyur text redaction: lines 9–808 of DNZTruly Valid Words are not in the Tengyur redaction. And only 6 randomlines and 1 four-line verse of the Tengyur redaction are not contained inDNZ Truly Valid Words. As can be seen from the topical outline providedby Pema Karpo below, the lines not included in the Tengyur redactionrepresent the part of DNZ Truly Valid Words that describes the path forthose who engage instantaneously. The Tengyur redaction only contains theinstructions for those of the gradual approach.''Truly Valid Words'' was not included in the canon catalogs of ChomdenRaldri or Butön Rinchen Drup and is only included in the Derge and ConeTengyurs, 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 alsoa source for texts by Nāropa, starting with Nāropa’s Authoritative Texts inVerse (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 ofwhich are found in his Authoritative Texts in Verse.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BD-QINU`"'Pema Karpo begins his commentary with the following account of thetransmission of these instructions, as he says, to inspire confidence in thesources. Vajradhara, who resides in Akaniṣṭha, manifested as the supremenirmāṇakāya Buddha Śākyamuni in this impure world. Surrounded byinnumerable heroes and ḍākinīs, the Buddha spoke these vajra words out ofhis love for future disciples. They were collected by Guhyapati Vajragarbha,placed under seven seals in a dharma vault in Oḍḍiyāna and entrusted to theḍākinīs. Later on, parts of those teachings were brought to India throughthe kindness of the collector.The mahāmudrā instructions were received by Saraha and then passed toLūyipa, who gave them to Dārikapa and Ḍeṅgipa. The instructions relatedto the father tantras were bestowed by the divine son Ratnamati on Nāgārjunagarbha, who gave them to Mātaṅgīpā. The mother tantra instructionswere given by Sumatī Subhaginī to Medhini (Tanglopa), *Parṇa (Shinglopa), and Vajraghaṇṭa, who resided on Mount Karṇa. The instructionson luminosity and other practices were given by Ḍombi Heruka to theyoginī Vinasavajra (or Bhinasavajra) and those were heard by Kambala ofOḍḍiyāna. Then, Tilopa, having received a directive from the vajra queenin 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 theThought of Vajradhara is provided here as an overview of the contents of thistext.*'"`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 itto both Gyalwa Lo and Sumpa Repa and to Burgom. Pakmo Drupa receivedit from the latter and passed it to Ling Repa, who also received it from bothGyalwa Lo and Sumpa Repa. Ling Repa bestowed it on Tsangpa Gyare,from whom it passed to Önre Dharma Senge, Zhönu Senge, and NyimaSenge. Ön Dorje Lingpa received it from the preceding two, who wereuncle 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 ChökyiGyalpo, and Jamyang Chökyi Drakpa, from whom both Avadhūtipa andNgaki Wangchuk Drakpa Gyaltsen received it. They both then passed itto the omniscient Pema Karpo, from whom it passed to Lhatse NgakwangZangpo, 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, andJamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BF-QINU`"'gön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BF-QINU`"' +
''Vajra Play'' is appended to ''Another Bu … ''Vajra Play'' is appended to ''Another Bundle'' in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' but not indicated in the table of contents or in Jamgön Kongtrul’s catalog. Nor is it included in other editions of ''Another Bundle''. However, in the ''Dingri Volumes'' it appears as a separate entry, and I have followed suit here. ''Vajra Play'' consists of eighteen questions, with their answers delivered in short and even cryptic prose. Only a few of the questions echo those in the other collections, and this set may have a different source. and this set may have a different source. +
''Vajra Verses of the Aural Transmission ( … ''Vajra Verses of the Aural Transmission (Karṇatantravajrapada)'' is saidto be teachings spoken by Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, which she in turntransmitted by means of symbols to Tilopa in the Ghandhola temple inOḍḍiyāna. Tilopa then brought these teachings to the human realm. Sincethey were sealed with the command to be passed on as a single transmissionfor thirteen generations, he gave them to only one student, Nāropa, whogave them only to Marpa Lotsāwa. Nāropa and Marpa translated them intoTibetan, which is our sole record of these instructions, now preserved innumerous canonical and paracanonical editions.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'The inclusion of the ''Vajra Verses of the Aural Transmission'' here—in thesection of root texts for the six dharmas—is somewhat curious, since it isthe root, or source, text for the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. Its teachingsare expounded by Tilopa in his ''Short Text''*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' and are amplified by Milarepain two texts in this volume: ''The Instruction Manual for the Shared WishFulfilling Gems: The Practices Connected with the Vase Abhiṣeka from the Glorious Saṃvara Aural Transmission''†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' and ''The Instruction Manual on the Six Dharmas, Which Liberate through the Upper Door: The Perfection Process of the Saṃvara Aural Transmission'', with one edition of the latter citingspecific lines from ''Vajra Verses'', indicating how closely the ''Vajra Verses'' serves as its basis.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' Therefore, we might expect the ''Vajra Verses'' to be the first text in the later section, “The Texts in the Dharma Cycles of the Root Aural Transmissions.”*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' Nevertheless, despite that and the fact that only about 30 percent of this text is on the six dharmas, it is included here, as the second text Jamgön Kongtrul selected as a root six dharmas text.Regarding the importance of this text, Zhang Lotsāwa, in his Introductory Notes, states:<blockquote>The extensive teachings that are the root of the Aural Transmission are the ''Tantra of Saṃvara Who Equals Space'''"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"' and all the Cakrasaṃvara tantras. The teachings on their meaning are the ''Vajra Verses'' spoken by Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, ''The Short Text'' composed by Tilopa, and the notes and commentaries on those.</blockquote>Tashi Chöpal’s ''Record of Teachings Received'' also identifies the Vajra Verses asthe “root text” (rtsa ba) of the glorious Saṃvara Aural Transmission WishFulfilling Gems.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'Regarding the attribution of authorship, Fabrizio Torricelli addresses this by asking:<blockquote>[I]f the ādibuddha Vajradhara is said to have granted instructions to the ḍākinī Vajrayoginī, who in turn would have transmitted it to Tilopā; if the latter memorized these teachings and handed [it] down to his disciple Nāropā, who in turn passed [it] on to his disciple Mar pa; if the latter translated and arranged the teachings in the presence of his guru, a legitimate question would be, who is the author of the work we have? . . . [I]t seems more reasonable to say that a text comes ''from'' a certain master, than to assume that it is ''by'' him.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"'</blockquote>Since Jamgön Kongtrul refers to this text as being “the words of Vajradhara”(''rdo rje ’chang gi bka’''), Vajradhara is designated as the author here. JamgönKongtrul also says that those who say that should be investigated are simplybeing sectarian.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000A-QINU`"'All accounts of the transmission of this text begin with the story that Tilopawent to Oḍḍiyāna to receive instructions and that after overpowering protective retinues of karmaḍākinīs and the ḍākinīs of the five families, he met the Jñānaḍākinī (Vajrayoginī). Once he demonstrated to her that he wasworthy of her instructions, the Jñānaḍākinī bestowed abhiṣekas and blessings upon him and gave him the complete Aural Transmission instructions.She also explained the Saṃvara root tantra in fifty-one chapters and all thetantras with their instructions.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000B-QINU`"' After leaving Oḍḍiyāna, Tilopa heard aninefold dharma teaching spoken by formless ḍākinīs.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000C-QINU`"'It is worth mentioning here that this ninefold dharma teaching from theformless ḍākinīs is ancillary to the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. The teaching is quite well known, at least in name, mainly due to the account found in Tsangnyön Heruka’s ''One Hundred Thousand Songs''. Briefly, although Marpagave Milarepa the Saṃvara Aural Transmission in full, he only transmittedfour (or five) of the nine teachings from the formless ḍākinīs to Milarepa.Marpa instructed Milarepa to send one of his disciples to India to receivethem from a disciple of Nāropa, which he did: Rechungpa went to Indiaand received them from Tipupa.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000D-QINU`"' Some confusion has occurred concerning the importance of these teachings because the Blue Annals mistakenly refers to the ninefold teaching from the formless ḍākinīs as “‘The Lineageof Oral Instructions of Saṃvara,’” and says “the Lineage which was foundedby Ras-chuṅ-pa himself is known as ‘The Lineage of Oral Instructions ofRas-chuṅ.’” This is not the case, as is well documented in the histories of theSaṃvara Aural Transmission.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000E-QINU`"'In addition to the Vajra Verses’ special feature of being the words of Vajradhara, what is important about this text is its teachings and its transmission.===Teachings===The text lays out the path according to this cycle of teaching in a concisemanner, which has led, as so often is the case, to the composition of numerous commentaries and outlines. The root text included here contains topical headings (either added by Jamgön Kongtrul or found in the edition heused for inclusion in the ''Treasury''), which organize the teachings into whatbecame standard categories for the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. The headings are given below with a summary of the content and the correspondinglines in the ''Vajra Verses'' in parentheses.:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Lineage (descriptions of the qualifications for teachers and disciples) (7–9):Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Maturing Path (the four abhiṣekas of the sixty-two deity maṇḍala of Cakrasaṃvara and the four symbolic abhiṣekas of the fifteen deity maṇḍala of Vajrayoginī) (10–13a):Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Liberating Path (the practices associated with the four abhiṣekas) (13b)::Vase abhiṣeka: The path of the generation processes (the practices called the sovereigns, the ministers, the people, mixing, equal taste, and the three samayas)*'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000F-QINU`"' (14–15)::Secret abhiṣeka: Liberation through the upper door using the six dharmas†'"`UNIQ--ref-00000010-QINU`"' (caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity, transference, and entering a body) (16–60)::Prajñā abhiṣeka: Great bliss through the lower door (61–79)::Fourth abhiṣeka: Mahāmudrā, the illumination of wisdom (80–103):Arriving at the end of the path through recollection: The instructions pointing out the bardos (104–23):Dispelling hindrances and enhancement: Universal instructions(124–27):How the result is attained (128–39)===Transmission===The ''Vajra Verses'' concludes with saying, “The transmission of the verses isplaced under a seal for thirteen [generations].” All commentarial sourcesbegin by listing the first six members of the transmission series: Vajradhara,Vajrayoginī, Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, and Milarepa.However, as also discussed later,‡'"`UNIQ--ref-00000011-QINU`"' although these Aural Transmissioninstructions were only to be given to one person each generation for thirteen generations, there were instances when a transmission holder passed it on to more than one person. The first occasion was with Milarepa, whoreceived permission to do so in a vision of Vajrayoginī. He is said to havegiven the Aural Transmission teachings to a number of his disciples, including three main ones: Rechungpa, Ngamdzong Repa,*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000012-QINU`"' and Gampopa. The accounts of what he transmitted to whom vary, but it is clear that therewere two main lines of transmission to their thirteenth recipients: one thatcarried on the transmissions Milarepa gave to Rechungpa and Ngamdzong(merging in the tenth, Zhang Lotsāwa) and one that continued from Gampopa. The thirteenth recipients were Ziji Gyaltsen (1290–1360) and DrungMase (1386–1423).Since this translation relies on the commentaries by Tsangnyön Herukaand Jampa Puntsok, their accounts of the transmission through thirteengenerations will now be related (see below for the transmission lineagereceived by Jamgön Kongtrul).Tsangnyön Heruka comments on line 140 in the ''Vajra Verses'',“The transmission of the verses is placed under a seal for thirteen [generations],” as follows:<blockquote>The transmission of Vajradhara was sealed with the command, “This is to be practiced without spreading it beyond a single transmission for thirteen [generations],” and then Tilopa will emanate to release the seal in actuality.Tilopa, Nāropa, and Marpa based [their transmissions of] the abhiṣekas of the path of maturation and the generation and perfection processes of the path of liberation on either Hevajra or Saṃvara. As for these instructions, within the dharmas that liberate by means of the upper door, transference and entering a body were considered one. The bardo instructions were added to those five. Tilopa, taking them as an approach that came from the gurus of his four entrusted transmissions, matured and liberated many fortunate beings. Nāropa, giving them the name “the six dharmas of Tilopa,” benefitted many fortunate beings. Marpa, giving them the name “the six dharmas of Nāropa,” also benefitted many fortunate beings. Their activities and fame equaled the extent of space.The extensive, complete, unerring, and perfect instructions of the Ḍākinī Aural Transmission alone are the Aural Transmission.Vajrayoginī, knowing that vast benefit for beings would occur, appeared to Jetsun Milarepa in Drö Puk. She gave permission for and made a prophesy concerning the spreading of [the Ḍākinī Aural Transmission instructions] to a few fortunate ones and for writing them down. To his heart sons Rechungpa Dorje Drakpa and Ngendzong Tönpa, the Jetsun gave the complete extensive instructions of the Threefold Wish-Fulfilling Gems. Thus, their [transmissions] became known as the Rechung Aural Transmission and the Ngendzong Aural Transmission. These instructions, whose command seal for being only a single transmission had been permitted to be loosened, were spread in a very strict and secret manner. Their fame spread in all directions like thunder. In actuality, these complete and unerring instructions were transmitted like stars during the daytime, [that is, very rarely,] and they continued up until they reached me.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000013-QINU`"'</blockquote>Jampa Puntsok explains:<blockquote>The reason for requiring this to be a single transmission for thirteen [generations] was to establish the auspicious connection for the individuals engaging this path to reach the end of the twelfth bhūmi and manifest the thirteenth bhūmi of Vajradhara.The way these were given is as follows: Great Vajradhara, the true, perfect buddha, had many disciples who were bodhisattvas dwelling on the bhūmis, but he only gave them to Vajrayoginī, the female consort, who was inseparable from him in terms of relinquishment and realization.Vajrayoginī had countless disciples who were heroes and yoginīs dwelling on the bhūmis, but she gave the instructions to the exalted Tilopa, an emanation of Saṃvara. Although the nirmāṇakāya Tilopa had many disciples who were siddhas, such as Riripa, Kasoripa, and Nakpo Gewa, he gave the instructions only to the scholar-siddha Nāropa Mahāpaṇḍita. Nāropa also had numerous disciples, including the śramaṇera Prajñā Siṃha; glorious Śāntibhadra, the master Maitrīpa, Tipupa, and the Great Lord, glorious Atiśa. However, he gave the instructions only to the translator Marpa Lotsāwa. The translator Marpa, despite having many disciples (such as Ngoktön, Maitön Tsompo, and Tsurtön Wangi Dorje), gave the instructions only to Milarepa of Gungtang.Jetsun Milarepa had numerous disciples, such as the unequaled Physician from Dakpo [Gampopa] (who was prophesized by the Victor), Zhiwa Ö, and others, but he gave the instructions only to Rechung Dorje Drakpa. Rechungpa himself had many disciples (including Ra Shernang, Tönpa Sungyang, and Gyalwa Lo of Tsa), but he only gave the instructions to Gyalwa Khyung Tsangpa.Khyung Tsangpa had many disciples who knew the entryways to the piṭakas, and yet he gave the instructions only to three: Martön Tsultrim Jungne, Lopön Targom, and Machik Ongjo. Among them, Machik Ongjo was given the complete instructions, and she received an injunction from Khyung Tsangpa that she was to give them to one person who supplicated three times to receive this dharma.For the sake of this dharma, Zhang Lotsāwa Drupa Palzang supplicated [Machik Ongjo] first as an upāsaka, in the middle as a śramaṇera, and in the end as a bhikṣu. Following those supplications, Machik gave Zhang Drowai Gönpo the instructions.*'"`UNIQ--ref-00000014-QINU`"' Zhang Lotsāwa had many students who were scholarpractitioners, but he gave the instructions to Bandhe Dharaśri of Ba. Bandhe Dharaśri of Ba had many students, but none were suitable recipients, and therefore he gave the instructions to his son, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen. Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen had students, but since none were suitable recipients, he gave the instructions to his sister, Kunden Rema. Machik [Kunden Rema] also had students but gave the instructions to Nartangwa Delek Rinchen and Nyanangpa Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen. Khetsunpa was the thirteenth [holder] of the transmission, and he heard the instructions from both Delekpa and Machik. There were also many amazing signs, indications, and so on that Khetsunpa was the thirteenth [holder] of the transmission.</blockquote>Jampa Puntsok concludes by providing the transmission after Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen up to himself:<blockquote>Khetsunpa gave the instructions to Khenchen Wangchuk Sherap from Ngari Guge. He gave them to Jatang Ritröpa Zhönu Gyaltsen of Latö Namding. He gave them to Rechen Zhönu Palden of Latö. He gave them to Dongtön Namkha Gyaltsen of Kham. He gave them to Dulzin Ngaki Wangpo of Ngari Gungtang. He gave them to Sangye Senge of Penyul Shara. He gave them to Tsangnyön Sangye Gyaltsen of Nyangtö Kharkha. He gave them to the scholar-siddha Lhatsun Rinchen Namgyal and Pagö Götsangchen. Those two holy beings gave them to me, Töngom Jampa Puntsok. I also received the complete set of abhiṣekas, instructions, associated elements, and procedures.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000015-QINU`"'</blockquote>The ''Catalog'' states that this text is followed by a short commentary, ''Opening the Vajra Verses'', but that text was not included in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' and its identity is uncertain.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000016-QINU`"'''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī, Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000017-QINU`"'opa, and then the same as previously stated for the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000017-QINU`"' +
<center>'''''Introduction to The Gre … <center>'''''Introduction to The Great Bundle of Precepts: The Source Esoteric Instruction on Severance, the Profound Perfection of Wisdom'''''</center>''The Great Bundle of Precepts on Severance'' is considered a source text (''gzhung'') of the Severance tradition attributed to ''Machik Lapkyi Drönma'' ([[Ma gcig Lab kyi sgron ma]], 1055–1153), also referred to as Machik Lapkyi Drolma, or Machik Lapdrön for short. She was the beloved teacher and famous founder of this lineage. According to ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'' by Khamnyön Dharma Senge (nineteenth century), it was taught in a single day to a large crowd that included three Indians who arrived instantly in Tibet by means of the practice called “swift foot” to investigate the authenticity of Machik and her increasingly popular teachings. As a woman and the originator of a “new” teaching tradition, Machik Lapdrön was under considerable suspicion and often had to prove her worth. In ''Machik’s Complete Explanation'' she explains that the name “bundle of precepts” means that it is based on the long, middle-length, and short precepts of the Buddha Shākyamuni, which she had studied previously. In other words, she maintained that the teachings contained herein are nothing other than the authentic words (''bka’'') of the Buddha.Such an ancient text has been reproduced many times over the years, and variations have naturally crept in. Notable alternatives in the several editions consulted here have been provided in the endnotes to enhance the range of interpretation.n the endnotes to enhance the range of interpretation. +
<center>'''''Introduction to the Egg … <center>'''''Introduction to the Egg Trilogy'''''</center>The “Egg Trilogy” is one part of a series of compendia of the sayings and songs of the great adepts of India known as the mahāsiddhas; the collection and importation of which are attributed to Dampa Sangye. Studies of these by Kurtis Schaeffer reveal that there are seventeen in all.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000209-QINU`"' Eleven can be found in the Tibetan Tengyur, where they constitute the majority of such anthologies. Most of them, with only one exception, are also found in the five-volume ''Zhije Collection'', which also contains the six others, including our Silver, Golden, and Crystal Eggs.The Egg Trilogy falls under the set of Pacification teachings known as Stainless (''dri med''). Each of the Eggs contains short sayings of fifty-four or fifty-five great adepts who were Dampa’s personal teachers and are included as a set in the lineage histories of the later transmission. They are known as the “common” or popular (''mthun mong'') male and female gurus, not because they were ordinary but rather because those gurus were held in common by many other disciples and were not unique to Dampa Sangye. Indeed, many of them are quite famous and can be seen to overlap with another set known as the eighty-four adepts (grub thob brgyad bcu bzhi). This group is also found in the Tengyur and many other places and has become the more official, standard list.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000020A-QINU`"' But it is good to remember that there were just really a lot of great saints in India and the book is never closed. Dampa was extremely lucky.Pa Dampa’s fifty-four or -five teachers are divided into five groups by Gö Lotsāwa in ''The Blue Annals'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000020B-QINU`"' and other places, such as in ''Distilled Elixir'' in this volume. They are as follows: eleven gurus who taught defining characteristics and Sanskrit grammar, eleven gurus who taught the movements of vital winds in the father tantras, eleven gurus who taught bliss experiences in the mother tantras, eleven gurus who taught symbols of mahāmudrā, and ten gurus who introduced pure awareness. Thus, the story continues, Dampa Sangye received all the instructions of the outer vehicle of characteristics and the inner father and mother tantras and practiced them. Unfortunately, the lists of names in these sources and in all the anthologies vary quite a bit, with no two being identical. This uncertainty is compounded by unreliable back-translations into their Sanskrit names as well as by ubiquitous scribal errors. So to attempt a definitive list here would just be aggravating.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000020C-QINU`"' However, loosely speaking, the order of gurus in the three texts presented here more or less follows those five nominal group divisions.That is the classification according to names. According to content, it would be difficult to precisely identify how each terse dictum fits into the above five categories. Nevertheless, one can see a rough pattern, with philosophical subjects appearing in the beginning, vital winds mentioned often in the next set, and so forth. In particular, and only in the ''Treasury'' editions, ''The Pure Silver Egg'' is divided into five sets named according to the traditional five paths (''lam lnga'') of Mahayana Buddhism. However, these five paths are presented in a unique and distinctive way in Pacification, as will become clear in the later texts in this volume. The five-path division here was apparently added by Kongtrul or Khyentse or an editor, and it may even have been an attempt to correlate the five sets of gurus with the five paths. The divisions don’t exactly correspond to the list of names, but they are close enough. So that is helpful.It would be another matter entirely to find these actual sayings within the recorded works of those named adepts. Until someone undertakes that kind of research, we will have to be content to say that those great spiritual adepts probably did (or would) say something akin to what is recorded here.A note on word choices: In texts such as these that have been copied since ancient times, the many editions have innumerable variations. While this is by no means a critical edition of the Eggs, I have included many of the variations in the notes in an effort to help find the meaning. But I have committed the terrible translator crime of choosing in some cases to override the Treasury version if other variations made more sense, were more common, or seemed more original. Finally, this edition of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' luckily contains an interlinear note to support my translation of sgong (also ''sgo nga'') as “egg.” It states that it means “a summary of the source scripture’s meaning” (''gzhung gi don bsdus pa'o''). This is the common word for “egg,” and pastoral allegories are everywhere to be found in the literature of Tibet. But perhaps it just does not carry a particularly spiritual ring to our modern ears, so far from the farm.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-0000020D-QINU`"'arm. '''Notes''' '"`UNIQ--references-0000020D-QINU`"' +
<center>'''''Introduction to the Egg … <center>'''''Introduction to the Egg Trilogy'''''</center>The “Egg Trilogy” is one part of a series of compendia of the sayings and songs of the great adepts of India known as the mahāsiddhas; the collection and importation of which are attributed to Dampa Sangye. Studies of these by Kurtis Schaeffer reveal that there are seventeen in all.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000021B-QINU`"' Eleven can be found in the Tibetan Tengyur, where they constitute the majority of such anthologies. Most of them, with only one exception, are also found in the five-volume ''Zhije Collection'', which also contains the six others, including our Silver, Golden, and Crystal Eggs.The Egg Trilogy falls under the set of Pacification teachings known as Stainless (''dri med''). Each of the Eggs contains short sayings of fifty-four or fifty-five great adepts who were Dampa’s personal teachers and are included as a set in the lineage histories of the later transmission. They are known as the “common” or popular (''mthun mong'') male and female gurus, not because they were ordinary but rather because those gurus were held in common by many other disciples and were not unique to Dampa Sangye. Indeed, many of them are quite famous and can be seen to overlap with another set known as the eighty-four adepts (grub thob brgyad bcu bzhi). This group is also found in the Tengyur and many other places and has become the more official, standard list.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000021C-QINU`"' But it is good to remember that there were just really a lot of great saints in India and the book is never closed. Dampa was extremely lucky.Pa Dampa’s fifty-four or -five teachers are divided into five groups by Gö Lotsāwa in ''The Blue Annals'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000021D-QINU`"' and other places, such as in ''Distilled Elixir'' in this volume. They are as follows: eleven gurus who taught defining characteristics and Sanskrit grammar, eleven gurus who taught the movements of vital winds in the father tantras, eleven gurus who taught bliss experiences in the mother tantras, eleven gurus who taught symbols of mahāmudrā, and ten gurus who introduced pure awareness. Thus, the story continues, Dampa Sangye received all the instructions of the outer vehicle of characteristics and the inner father and mother tantras and practiced them. Unfortunately, the lists of names in these sources and in all the anthologies vary quite a bit, with no two being identical. This uncertainty is compounded by unreliable back-translations into their Sanskrit names as well as by ubiquitous scribal errors. So to attempt a definitive list here would just be aggravating.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000021E-QINU`"' However, loosely speaking, the order of gurus in the three texts presented here more or less follows those five nominal group divisions.That is the classification according to names. According to content, it would be difficult to precisely identify how each terse dictum fits into the above five categories. Nevertheless, one can see a rough pattern, with philosophical subjects appearing in the beginning, vital winds mentioned often in the next set, and so forth. In particular, and only in the ''Treasury'' editions, ''The Pure Silver Egg'' is divided into five sets named according to the traditional five paths (''lam lnga'') of Mahayana Buddhism. However, these five paths are presented in a unique and distinctive way in Pacification, as will become clear in the later texts in this volume. The five-path division here was apparently added by Kongtrul or Khyentse or an editor, and it may even have been an attempt to correlate the five sets of gurus with the five paths. The divisions don’t exactly correspond to the list of names, but they are close enough. So that is helpful.It would be another matter entirely to find these actual sayings within the recorded works of those named adepts. Until someone undertakes that kind of research, we will have to be content to say that those great spiritual adepts probably did (or would) say something akin to what is recorded here.A note on word choices: In texts such as these that have been copied since ancient times, the many editions have innumerable variations. While this is by no means a critical edition of the Eggs, I have included many of the variations in the notes in an effort to help find the meaning. But I have committed the terrible translator crime of choosing in some cases to override the Treasury version if other variations made more sense, were more common, or seemed more original. Finally, this edition of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' luckily contains an interlinear note to support my translation of sgong (also ''sgo nga'') as “egg.” It states that it means “a summary of the source scripture’s meaning” (''gzhung gi don bsdus pa'o''). This is the common word for “egg,” and pastoral allegories are everywhere to be found in the literature of Tibet. But perhaps it just does not carry a particularly spiritual ring to our modern ears, so far from the farm.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-0000021F-QINU`"'arm. '''Notes''' '"`UNIQ--references-0000021F-QINU`"' +
<center>'''''Introduction to the Egg … <center>'''''Introduction to the Egg Trilogy'''''</center>The “Egg Trilogy” is one part of a series of compendia of the sayings and songs of the great adepts of India known as the mahāsiddhas; the collection and importation of which are attributed to Dampa Sangye. Studies of these by Kurtis Schaeffer reveal that there are seventeen in all.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C1-QINU`"' Eleven can be found in the Tibetan Tengyur, where they constitute the majority of such anthologies. Most of them, with only one exception, are also found in the five-volume ''Zhije Collection'', which also contains the six others, including our Silver, Golden, and Crystal Eggs.The Egg Trilogy falls under the set of Pacification teachings known as Stainless (''dri med''). Each of the Eggs contains short sayings of fifty-four or fifty-five great adepts who were Dampa’s personal teachers and are included as a set in the lineage histories of the later transmission. They are known as the “common” or popular (''mthun mong'') male and female gurus, not because they were ordinary but rather because those gurus were held in common by many other disciples and were not unique to Dampa Sangye. Indeed, many of them are quite famous and can be seen to overlap with another set known as the eighty-four adepts (grub thob brgyad bcu bzhi). This group is also found in the Tengyur and many other places and has become the more official, standard list.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C2-QINU`"' But it is good to remember that there were just really a lot of great saints in India and the book is never closed. Dampa was extremely lucky.Pa Dampa’s fifty-four or -five teachers are divided into five groups by Gö Lotsāwa in ''The Blue Annals'''"`UNIQ--ref-000002C3-QINU`"' and other places, such as in ''Distilled Elixir'' in this volume. They are as follows: eleven gurus who taught defining characteristics and Sanskrit grammar, eleven gurus who taught the movements of vital winds in the father tantras, eleven gurus who taught bliss experiences in the mother tantras, eleven gurus who taught symbols of mahāmudrā, and ten gurus who introduced pure awareness. Thus, the story continues, Dampa Sangye received all the instructions of the outer vehicle of characteristics and the inner father and mother tantras and practiced them. Unfortunately, the lists of names in these sources and in all the anthologies vary quite a bit, with no two being identical. This uncertainty is compounded by unreliable back-translations into their Sanskrit names as well as by ubiquitous scribal errors. So to attempt a definitive list here would just be aggravating.'"`UNIQ--ref-000002C4-QINU`"' However, loosely speaking, the order of gurus in the three texts presented here more or less follows those five nominal group divisions.That is the classification according to names. According to content, it would be difficult to precisely identify how each terse dictum fits into the above five categories. Nevertheless, one can see a rough pattern, with philosophical subjects appearing in the beginning, vital winds mentioned often in the next set, and so forth. In particular, and only in the ''Treasury'' editions, ''The Pure Silver Egg'' is divided into five sets named according to the traditional five paths (''lam lnga'') of Mahayana Buddhism. However, these five paths are presented in a unique and distinctive way in Pacification, as will become clear in the later texts in this volume. The five-path division here was apparently added by Kongtrul or Khyentse or an editor, and it may even have been an attempt to correlate the five sets of gurus with the five paths. The divisions don’t exactly correspond to the list of names, but they are close enough. So that is helpful.It would be another matter entirely to find these actual sayings within the recorded works of those named adepts. Until someone undertakes that kind of research, we will have to be content to say that those great spiritual adepts probably did (or would) say something akin to what is recorded here.A note on word choices: In texts such as these that have been copied since ancient times, the many editions have innumerable variations. While this is by no means a critical edition of the Eggs, I have included many of the variations in the notes in an effort to help find the meaning. But I have committed the terrible translator crime of choosing in some cases to override the Treasury version if other variations made more sense, were more common, or seemed more original. Finally, this edition of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' luckily contains an interlinear note to support my translation of sgong (also ''sgo nga'') as “egg.” It states that it means “a summary of the source scripture’s meaning” (''gzhung gi don bsdus pa'o''). This is the common word for “egg,” and pastoral allegories are everywhere to be found in the literature of Tibet. But perhaps it just does not carry a particularly spiritual ring to our modern ears, so far from the farm.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-000002C5-QINU`"'arm. '''Notes''' '"`UNIQ--references-000002C5-QINU`"' +
<center>'''''Introduction to Āryadev … <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`"'ras. '''Notes''' '"`UNIQ--references-00000493-QINU`"' +
After completing the ordinary and extraord … After completing the ordinary and extraordinary preliminaries outlined in the previous two chapters, practitioners may then undertake the main practices contained in the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, which constitute by far the longest chapter of the book. These practices, collated by Kunga Drolchok, represent all eight authoritative lineages promulgated in Tibet—Nyingma, Kadam, Sakya, Kagyu, Severance & Pacification, Six-branch Yoga, Shangpa Kagyu, and the Ritual Service and Attainment of Orgyanpa; and they derive from both the sūtra and tantra traditions, the latter emphasizing the generation stage (bskyed rim) and perfection stage (rdzogs rim) of meditation, along with instruction on the great seal (phyag rgya chen po) and the great perfection (rdzogs pa chen po). The compiler advises, in his concluding verses, that these main practices are to be undertaken distinctly and individually in their own terms, without being intermingled. The intricate relationships between the guidebooks are set aside for discussion in a later chapter.These One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks are for the most part written in the terse, shorthand style of a memorandum (zin bris), for which reason, in this translation, it has often been necessary to add phrases or entire sentences in square brackets to elucidate the meaning. Such insertions derive from primary sources and related texts, found elsewhere in Jamgon Kongtrul’s Treasury of Oral Instructions, or in the Collected Works of their original authors. In the introductory note to each guidebook I have indicated, wherever possible, its primary source and antecedents in Sanskrit or Tibetan literature. There are also some cases where the primary source is no longer extant outwith this anthology, and others where reference is made to later commentaries by Tāranātha or Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo. Readers will note that the order in which these guidebooks are presented corresponds for the most part to Chapter Nine of the Tibetan text, but there are a small number of exceptions where this sequence is at variance with that of the earlier historical chapters. Most notably, the Six-branch Yoga (no. 40) has been moved in the Tibetan text to no. 90, perhaps in consideration of its content, but for the sake of consistency I have followed the ordering clearly stated in the earlier chapters.dering clearly stated in the earlier chapters. +
Although Kunga Drolchok had remarked that … Although Kunga Drolchok had remarked that guidance should be given according to the individual guidebooks after the empowerments of Hevajra and so forth, had been conferred, in later times only the chanting of the scriptural transmission survived. For this reason, Katok Tsewang Norbu during the eighteenth century introduced the so-called “empowerment of the book” which transfers the blessings of the anthology—the actual volume containing the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks. The liturgical arrangement for this empowerment ceremony, which is the subject of this final chapter, was composed by Losal Tenkyong of Zhalu during the nineteenth century.ng of Zhalu during the nineteenth century. +
Although this text is attributed to [[Machik Lapdrön]] … Although this text is attributed to [[Machik Lapdrön]] and placed among the original texts of Severance in ''[[The Treasury of Precious Instructions]]'', in fact it is a commentary on a source text, with the lines of what may have been an autonomous root text entitled ''A Hair’s Tip of Wisdom'' found within the commentary. This root text may well have been composed by [[Machik]], as it is similar in content and style to the other sources and retains the beauty and profundity of direct teaching. The commentary itself has no colophon. [[Kongtrul]] indicates in his records that it could be by [[Kunga Paljor]] (also called [[Drung Sarupa]]), who is the author of ''Pure Honey'', the commentary to the main source text by [[Āryadeva the Brahmin]]. It is somewhat similar in style to that work. On the other hand, in ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'' it seems to be attributed to [[Karmapa Rangjung Dorje]].'"`UNIQ--ref-00000482-QINU`"' Again it is unclear, as there is no direct statement of authorship but rather an association with another text. [[Rangjung Dorje]] seems an unlikely candidate, since the text is not found among his comprehensive collected works, and stylistically it is quite different.Sometimes the commentary seems to directly contradict the intention in the root text upon which it is commenting. For example, [[Machik]] (if she is the author) says that “the meaning . . . is introduced in oneself,” while the comment on that statement advises one to request introduction or pointing-out instruction from the guru. The structural outline superimposed on what would be an inspired spontaneous teaching seems a better fit for a formal treatise. Nevertheless, the comments of this deft scholar clarify and enhance the meaning of the original, and together they make a wonderful exposition on the real meaning of Severance.position on the real meaning of Severance. +
Amitāyus (''Tshe dpag med''), the buddha o … 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.names are used to refer to the same deity. +
Among the eight ancillary path cycles, ''T … Among the eight ancillary path cycles, ''The Path Cycle of the Mudra''presents the most detailed and explicit explanation of mudra practice.While it is clear the text is written for practice with a consort, or karmamudra, Amezhap asserts that according to how it is presented in ''The Explanationof the Path with Its Result for Disciples'', there are two ways this text hasbeen explained: for practice with an actual mudra and with a gnosis mudra,or a visualized consort. In ''The Fortunate Right-TurningWhite Conch'', chapter 17, Kongtrul comments that even if one is to rely on an actual mudra,training with a gnosis mudra is a necessary preparation.One of the more interesting features of ''The Path Cycle of the Mudra'' isthe detailed description of how one progresses on the bodhisattva stages tobuddhahood through the dissolution of the vāyus that are in “cities”—thatis, nāḍī locations that correspond to the thirty-two countries, the renownedpilgrimage sites on the Indian continent.The text also provides two accounts of the three kāyas: the standardseven limbs of the three kāyas given in the other seven texts belonging tothe eight ancillary path cycles and a presentation of the five limbs of threekāyas unique to Indrabhūti II’s ''Accomplishing Gnosis.''The text concludes with the account of the lineage, in which threeIndrabhūtis are identified, and it is stated that there is both a long and ashort lineage for this teaching. In ''Effortless Accomplishment of the Two Benefits'',Amezhap states that Indrabhūti II is the author of this instruction.hūti II is the author of this instruction. +
An important function of vajrayāna ritual … An important function of vajrayāna ritual is to ensure that whatever offerings have been made will serve the purpose of fulfilling obligations as well as accumulating merit. This is the practice of ''kangwa'' (''bskang ba''), translated variously as fulfillment, renewal, amendment, appeasement, and so forth. The pledges or commitments or covenants (''dam tshig'') that are thereby fulfilled involve two levels: Secret Mantra practitioners have a special relationship with the buddhas, deities, [[ḍākinī]]s, and other holy beings who will bless and protect them as long as the practitioner keeps up his or her practice. The second level concerns the various worldly protectors, ground masters, and local spirits who pledged themselves to the dharma, usually under pressure during the time of Guru [[Padmasambhava]], but who must be regularly appeased with offerings to remind them of that commitment. In both cases, the ritual also serves to emend any breaches or deficiencies in the mutual agreement, and thus it may also contain a confession of mistakes.This text contains three rituals that utilize the offering of one’s own body as a communal feast to renew those commitments. After the initial setup visualization, the first is “Mother Transformation” by Chökyi Drakpa of Tsalkar ([[mTshal dkar Chos kyi grags pa]]). This very common name might be the [[fourth Zhamar]] incarnation (1453–1524/5), but the Tsalkar designation is not identified. The title might suggest that it is a variation of a previous “mother” text. The text calls on the usual lineage gurus up through [[Karmapa Rangjung Dorje]] and continues with yet another line of masters coming through the [[Zurmang]] line. Then it focuses on the divine beings, such as the [[ḍākinī]]s of the charnel grounds, the buddhas of the ten directions, and the protectors, before going on to the local spirits.The second text, “Gem Treasury,” is attributed to Guru [[Dharmakīrti]]. This is the Sanskrit for the Tibetan name Chökyi Drakpa and could well indicate the author of the previous text. “Gem Treasury” is said to be an amendment of a composition by [[Situ Norbu Sampel]] ([[Si tu Nor bu bsam ’phel]]). Though this has been suggested as another name for the [[sixth Situ]], [[Mipam Trinle Rapten]] ([[Mi pham phrin las rab brtan]], 1658–1682), his dates do not line up with the statement in the colophon that it had been requested by [[Ratnashrī]], or Palden Rinchen in Tibetan, the author of the third fulfillment liturgy and named here in the [[Zurmang]] lineage after [Rupa] [[Wangchuk Dorje]], who is only two gurus after [[Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–1339). The lineage prayer ends with the fourth [[Trungpa]], [[Kunga Namgyal]] (1567–1629).The third text is called simply “Fulfillment Ritual” and is attributed to the adept of Runda, Palden Rinchen (Ru mda grub thob dPal ldan rin chen). His Sanskrit name, [[Ratnashrī]], appears in many other [[Zurmang]] lineage prayers, and a brief account of his life can be found in the Collected Histories of the Glorious [[Zurmang Kagyu]].'"`UNIQ--ref-0000063F-QINU`"' This liturgy itself does not contain a lineage prayer but calls on the deities and [[ḍākinī]]s and then includes an extensive confession. It ends with a long list of the actual items that fulfill the pledges.the actual items that fulfill the pledges. +
Another Bundle, attributed to Machik Lapdr … Another Bundle, attributed to Machik Lapdrön, takes the form of a dialogue or question-and-answer session, perhaps written down or remembered in verse by her son Gyalwa Döndrup, who is said in several sources to be the interlocutor. In the catalog of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'', Kongtrul traces his transmission lineage back to him. “Another” or “a further” bundle (''yang tshom'') indicates that it is another collection following ''The Great Bundle''. In ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'', Khamnyön Dharma Senge calls ''Another Bundle'' “the esoteric instructions on that [''Great Bundle''].”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000579-QINU`"' An alternate title given in the colophon is ''Another Bundle of Twenty-Five Instructions as Answers to Questions'', shortened in certain other sources to ''Another Bundle of Twenty-Five''. However, one finds here twenty-eight questions, and it is not clear if this is some kind of alternate Tibetan way of counting or if the bundle tends to gain and lose questions with each reprint like a loose bunch of flowers.This version of ''Another Bundle'' is also found in a collection of Severance texts called ''Practices of the Severance Collection and So Forth'' (''gCod tshogs kyi lag len sogs'') from Limi Monastery. Although there are many minor differences in these two editions, some of which I mention in the endnotes, the two are comparable in format. However, it is preceded in the Limi collection by another text that is indicated merely with the words “Bundle of Precepts” (''bKa’ tshom''). The colophon to that text calls it “''Thirty-Five Questions and Answers on the Bundle of Precepts, the Quintessence of the Mother’s Super Secret Heart-Mind''.” It goes on to add the following: “This esoteric instruction is a word continuum. If it spreads to everyone it will be of no benefit. Keep it restricted like a mute’s speech. Depend on the heirs that hold the lineage.” And: “This quintessence of the heart-mind [as] questions and answers was gladly bestowed by great realized guru[s] on the Shākya monk Sangdor, and I wrote it well.” This may be the same author as that of the ''Heart Essence of Profound Meaning'', Jamyang Gönpo, who typically signs off as “the Shākya monk, holder of the vajra.”Although this other “Bundle of Precepts” in the Limi collection bears almost no resemblance to ''The Great Bundle of Precepts'' (''bKa’ tshom chen mo''), it is strikingly similar to ''Another Bundle'' in that it is a series of questions and answers, many of which in fact are basically the same questions. Of the thirty-five questions (here correctly enumerated), twenty-six appear in ''Another Bundle'', at least in content, with sometimes two questions being combined into one. Three of the responses to questions resemble sections in ''The Essential Bundle'' (chapter 9 in this volume), and six questions seem to be unique to this text, although parts of their answers can be found elsewhere. If this is an earlier or different “bundle,” it lends more sense to the title of the present text “Another Bundle,” since they are both in the same format of dialogue and may just represent two versions that were circulating in Tibet. Where Khamnyön Dharma Senge quotes Machik in ''The Religious History of Pacification and Severance'', the wording is identical to the Limi “Bundle of Precepts” and not to ''The Great Bundle or Another Bundle'' in this collection. Since Khamnyön Dharma Senge was contemporary with Jamgön Kongtrul, this just indicates that both versions were available in the nineteenth century and does not confirm their relative dates. It seems likely that Machik’s teachings were remembered and later recorded in many versions that were constantly shifting and reforming during nearly a millennium of transmission.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-0000057A-QINU`"'es''' '"`UNIQ--references-0000057A-QINU`"' +
Buddhist writers have always laid great em … Buddhist writers have always laid great emphasis on scriptural authority by quoting extensively from the sutras and tantras. In this way they can authenticate their work and demonstrate that their explanations have not simply been made up but are based on original sources. In this text, the omniscient Butön correlates the different verses of ''Resting in the Nature of Mind'' with passages from ''The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines'' on the one hand and a selection of tantras on the other.d and a selection of tantras on the other. +
Chapters Five and Six contain diverse anec … Chapters Five and Six contain diverse anecdotal accounts of the transmission of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks by earlier generations of lineage holders. Many peripheral texts associated with these cycles are also incidentally mentioned. References are generally found in the bibliography and in the notes to Chapter Nine. Chapter Five, written by Kunga Drolchok, covers the anecdotal accounts of the first seventy-four guidebooks, commencing with Parting from the Four Attachments and concluding with Kharamukha Cakrasaṃvara. The supplement by Tāranātha which is contained in Chapter Six completes the remainder, from the seventy-fifth to the one hundred and eighth. The introductory verses of Chapter Five are not balanced by any corresponding concluding verses, which may perhaps suggest that it was originally Kunga Drolchok’s intention to complete these anecdotes himself. Tāranātha, the acknowledged reincarnation, may have considered this task as a personal responsibility.ed this task as a personal responsibility. +
Dampa Sangye gives Bodhisattva Kunga advic … 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.s recorded or remembered by Bodhisattva Kunga. +
Dampa Sangye imparted some ''Pieces of Adv … Dampa Sangye imparted some ''Pieces of Advice'' to the residents of his monastery at Dingri Langkhor in a kind of farewell or final testament, with awareness of his own impermanence. It is perhaps the most famous and popular of his works. However, the versions that we have now share only a few verses with the earliest versions recorded in this distinctive style of couplets, all ending with “Dingriwa,” that is, “Dingrians” or “people of Dingri.” According to Dan Martin,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000320-QINU`"' Dampa was the first to pronounce such verses, and the second was his disciple Kunga, who repeated 118 verses a year before his own death, only seven years after his guru passed away. Then apparently this fairly easy compositional style was supplemented over the years by other lineage holders. Consequently, after so many versions, there are some issues with the exact list, as if that matters. In modern collections there are two conflicting titles: the ''Eighty Pieces'', as here in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'', and, more usually, the ''Hundred Pieces''. Some collections, such as the ''Dingri Volumes'', will have both versions. There is no evidence, however, that Dampa Sangye actually gave these teachings twice, and in fact most of the couplets or verses are present in both editions. It seems likely that a hundred (''brgya rtsa'') easily morphed into eighty (brgyad cu) at some point in its scribal history. Ninety-one made it into Dampa’s biography. Here the number turns out to be ninety-seven, although it may be noted that in some translations the second verse here is actually the first, which would make it ninety-six.There are a few histories of the setting for the teachings as well. The most often repeated seems to be as follows. Dampa Charchen, one of Dampa Sangye’s four main disciples known as the four gatekeeper yogins'"`UNIQ--ref-00000321-QINU`"' of the later transmission, came before Dampa and said, “Dampa, you are getting very old! You yourself will surely pass from happy states on to happy states. But think of the people of Dingri. What shall we do?” In some versions, this leads directly to the verses of advice, but in our version there is a short reflection in response that clearly affirms Dampa’s premonition of his death. The final verse also returns to the personal with the straightforward “I will leave.”But there is another interesting twist on the story in a commentary called ''Storehouse of Jewels'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000322-QINU`"' based on explanations of Ngawang Gyaltsen, where the scene is Bodhisattva Kunga’s “last words” to the people of Dingri. As Bodhisattva Kunga approaches nirvana (d. 1124), he speaks the opening verses from “''namo guru''” through the first verse ending with “it will be so hard to regain a human life, people of Dingri.” Then, the commentary says, he goes on to repeat the hundred (or so) pieces of advice from Dampa Sangye’s last words, beginning with the above story of Dampa Charchen’s request. One version does not obviate the other, except in that the opening words would be Kunga’s rather than Dampa’s.There are also any number of translations and commentaries available in Western languages, beginning perhaps with Evans-Wentz’s version (really Lama Kazi-Samdup’s translation) in 1954, to the wonderful translations with their oral commentaries by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (2006) and Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (2015). And because these pieces of advice are so worth repeating, there will be many more—perhaps eighty or a hundred.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-00000323-QINU`"'es''' '"`UNIQ--references-00000323-QINU`"' +
Dombi Heruka is credited as the author of … Dombi Heruka is credited as the author of several texts in theTengyur, the most important of which is ''Accomplishment of the Connate.''However, that text is not translated in this chapter at all, but ratherthis chapter presents an instruction for practicing the meaning of that text.This text has three sections. The first section is not clearly divided intoan outline. After some introductory statements detailing vows and differencesbetween how vows are followed in the path of the ascetic who doesnot rely on a consort and the path of the infant who does rely on a consort,Drakpa Gyaltsen then goes on to detail the connate nature of the cause, thepath, and the result. The section on the connate nature of the cause detailsfifteen dharmas. The connate nature of the path mainly concerns how thepath of the ascetic and the infant are practiced. The connate nature of theresult begins with signs of the practice and concludes with the seven limbsof three kāyas.The second section is a detailed discussion of mudras related to the pathof the infant. The third section concerns the process of retaining and drawingup the bindu. In ''Effortless Accomplishment of the Two Benefits'', Amezhapexplains that the practitioner of this instruction is to meditate on themselvesas Hevajra according to the six-limbed sādhana.2Ḍombi Heruka is one of the two named disciples of Virūpa, along withKāṇha. In Drakpa Gyaltsen’s ''Chronicle of the Indian Gurus'', Virūpa encountersḌombi Heruka during the episode when Virūpa reverses the GangesRiver. At this time, Ḍombi Heruka is a simple ferryman, taking peopleacross the Ganges River. Ḍombi Heruka and Kaṇhā accompany Virūpaon his most famous adventures, such as stopping the sun and taming thegoddess Caṇḍikā3 and her retinue of cannibal yoginīs. Following the latterepisode, Virūpa gave empowerment and complete instructions to Ḍombi.A sudden realizer, he attained realization equal to Virūpa and was sent toEast India to tame a king named Dehara. In ''Effortless Accomplishment of theTwo Benefits'', Amezhap explains that this Ḍombi Heruka is the first of thethree siddhas bearing this name.4t of the three siddhas bearing this name.4 +
Draklha, an aspect of the dharma protector … 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.gs and protecting those who practice them. +
During Marpa’s third trip to India, Nāropa … During Marpa’s third trip to India, Nāropa sang this song to himduring a ganacakra celebrating Marpa’s recovery from an illness.Although Marpa had recovered physically, he was, as Nāropa remarks in thesong, still feeling sad. In this song, Nāropa summarizes the instructions onthe six dharmas—caṇḍālī, illusory forms, dreams, luminosity, transference,and entering a body—and adds two final sets of instruction: on the bardosand the path.This song is found in the biographies of Marpa Lotsāwa by TsangnyönHeruka, Khachö Wangpo, and Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F6-QINU`"' It also serves asa basis for commentaries on the six dharmas by the first Paṇchen Lama,Lopsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, and one of his students, the first Rongpo Drupchen, Shar Kalden Gyatso, both seventeenth-century Geluk teachers.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F7-QINU`"'''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the GangesMahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F8-QINU`"'es Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000F8-QINU`"' +
Having presented the historical background … Having presented the historical background in the foregoing chapters, in the second part of this book, Kunga Drolchok focuses on the actual experiential cultivation of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks. The ordinary and extraordinary preliminary practices, briefly presented in Chapter Seven and Chapter Eight respectively are the prerequisites for those wishing to pursue any of the main practices that are compiled in the long Chapter Nine. Among them, Chapter Seven outlines the preliminary approaches suitable for individuals of lowest, average and superior capacity. The endnotes here refer to the detailed and succinct explanation of these topics found in Patrul Rinpoche’s The Words of My Perfect Teacher. As before, the chapter is introduced by auspicious verses and concludes with a signature quatrain.s and concludes with a signature quatrain. +
Having requested the blessings of the line … Having requested the blessings of the lineage holders of the past, Kunga Drolchok now offers a prayer to sustain the lives and enhance the enlightened activities of those, such as himself, who recount the history of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, over successive lifetimes. The prayer contrasts the rarity of the sacred doctrine with counterfeit forms that would lead beings astray through sophistry, and dedicates the merit accrued by his documenting the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks for the sake of buddhahood on behalf of all sentient beings.ddhahood on behalf of all sentient beings. +
In 1607 Tāranātha completed this supplemen … In 1607 Tāranātha completed this supplement to the historical anecdotes contained in the previous chapter. These cover the thirty-three remaining guidebooks, commencing from The Six Meditations of Vajravārāhī and concluding with The Nature of Mind: The Wish-fulfilling Gem. At the end of the chapter Tāranātha explains that he was encouraged to do so by his teacher Lhawang Drakpa, who himself had been a disciple of Kunga Drolchok.elf had been a disciple of Kunga Drolchok. +
In the Vajrayāna, it is the “pith instruct … 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. one is concentrating on the details. +
In the penultimate chapter, Kunga Drolchok … In the penultimate chapter, Kunga Drolchok begins by enumerating the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks in verse, intimating how he personally assimilated their meaning in his practice. In the second part, he names the one hundred and eight protector deities for which he received empowerment, headed by the diverse aspects of Mahākāla, and at the end of that section he subsumes them all in twenty-seven classes. In the third and final part, he lists more than one hundred empowerments that he received often multiple times according to the diverse classes of tantra, individually naming the teachers who conferred them.ly naming the teachers who conferred them. +
In this chapter, Kunga Drolchok explores t … In this chapter, Kunga Drolchok explores the classifications of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, according to the primary distinction between sūtras, tantras and their integration. By his own calculation, there are altogether “twenty-five ordinary instructions, twenty-five instructions common to all traditions, twenty-five pertaining to the Sakya tradition, and thirty-three instructions pertaining to the Kagyu lineage.”ructions pertaining to the Kagyu lineage.” +
In this personal statement Kunga Drolchok … In this personal statement Kunga Drolchok describes how he was inspired by Sangyé Pel to seek out the respective lineage holders of the One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks. Over thirty-one years, starting from young age of seven through to his thirty-eighth year, he assiduously acquired these diverse teachings and here he presents his achievement in the well-established format of a “record of teachings received” (thob yig, bsan yig). The names of the teachers from whom he obtained each lineage are documented here, including his own root guru, Kunga Chogdrub, to whom he respectfully refers not by name, but by the epithet “venerable hidden buddha” (rje sbas pa’i sangs rgyas). Kunga Drolchok also provides a wealth of information concerning the names of the Tibetan authors and redactors of these guidebooks, where they are known, and, in cases where the authorship is unclear, he remarks that they derive from unspecified ancient writings. There is evidence of an incisive critical faculty in the way in which he occasionally differentiates between multiple strands of a given lineage, indicating which are to be included in the anthology and which are not. Further information on these primary sources, their antecedents, and so forth, can be found in the bibliography and also in the intial note to each of one hundred and eight actual guidebooks in Chapter Nine.The chapter begins with a “signature” quatrain, in which the four syllables of Kunga Drolchok’s own name are embedded within the lines of verse, and it ends with a poetic dedication of merit, and a colophon.oetic dedication of merit, and a colophon. +
In this practice instruction [[Tāranātha]] c … In this practice instruction [[Tāranātha]] clearly lays out the main teachings of Severance and the order in which to practice them. To actually utilize this text as a practice, however, one would need the liturgy that should accompany these explanations, called ''Supplication Liturgy for the Essence of the Vital Meaning: A Practice Manual of Profound Object Severance''.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000059A-QINU`"' [[Kongtrul]] did not include that in this volume of the ''Treasury'', perhaps because there were more recent liturgies from other lineage holders.The ''[[Record of Teachings Received]]'' affirms that [[Kongtrul]] received the guidance or practice manual (''khrid yig'') “in the style of the transmission guidance (''lung khrid'') from the sacred writings of Venerable [[Kunga Drölchok]] and detailed guidance based on Venerable [[Jonang Tāranātha Rinpoche]]’s ''Essence of the Vital Meaning''.”'"`UNIQ--ref-0000059B-QINU`"'As is typical of this particular lineage that originated with [[Machik]] via [[Samten Özer]], through [[Kunga Drölchok]], [[Tāranātha]], and on to [[Kongtrul]] himself, the main practices have the specific designations of “the meaning of the Mother” (''yum don'') and “severing the four devils in basic space” (''bdud bzhi dbyings su gcod''). The first is the direct instruction on the nature of mind according to the [[perfection of wisdom]] (that is, the Mother), and the second is how to enact and enhance that realization through coping with the problematic experiences of existence, called the four devils. Everything beyond that is considered auxiliary practice to be done as postmeditation activity. This important fact was often lost as the demon-feeding elements gained prominence, which is why [[Kongtrul]] emphasized it again and again. it again and again. +
Jamgön Kongtrul’s teacher and cocreator of … 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`"';/blockquote> '''Notes''' '"`UNIQ--references-000002D4-QINU`"' +
Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk (1524–1568) was … Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk (1524–1568) was a disciple of Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (1502–1566), whose oral teachings on Mitrayogin’s source text he recorded in these ''Notes''. Rather than simply commenting on the meaning of the twenty-five verses, these teachings provide a guide for actually putting their essential message into practice.ing their essential message into practice. +
Lineage supplications are so informative—a … Lineage supplications are so informative—and so confusing. This one is not mentioned in [[Kongtrul]]’s ''Catalog'', except perhaps as one of the branches (''yan lag rnams bcas'') of ''Source of All Qualities'', leading the editor of the table of contents of the Kundeling printing to assume that it belongs with the [[Zurmang]] feast activities. While that may be the case, it does not represent the [[Zurmang]] long lineage. That supplication can be found in ''Source of All Qualities'', where it is attributed to [[Samten Rinchen]] of Lhapu. And the same one is used as the basis for the whole story of the lineage in the history of [[Zurmang]], where it is also called the “supplication of the Severance lineage gurus by [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]].”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' That version and the one in Source of All Qualities are identical, despite the differing author identification. The version here may have been added to that liturgy to ensure that all relevant lineages were duly honored.Here, the lineage is similar only up to [[Machik Lapdrön]] herself. It then veers over to [[Machik]]’s grandson [[Khambuyale]] rather than coming through [[Machik]]’s son Döndrup. Then it takes us the long way through a very [[Kamtsang]] line of lamas, including the purported author [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]], right up to [[Situ Pema Nyinje]] (1774–1853). This is where the lineage ends in this text as found in the Kundeling edition of the Palpung prints. However, at this point in the Shechen printing sponsored by [[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]] (1910–1991), it continues from [[Pema Nyinje]] to [[Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye]] (1813–1900), then to the [[Fifteenth Karmapa]], [[Khakhyap Dorje]] (1871–1922), then to [[Kongtrul]]’s disciple [[Tashi Özer]] (1836–1910), then to [[Khyentse Özer]] (1896–1945),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' and ends in “my root guru.”How could [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]], who lived in the fifteenth century, have written such a contemporary addendum, let alone [[Machik Lapdrön]]? One scenario is that [[Machik]] uttered a prayer to her lineage using the place-and-name format, beginning with, “In the palace of [[dharmadhātu]] in [[Akaniṣhṭa]], the Great Mother [[Perfection of Wisdom]] has blessings” and ending with her teacher [[Kyotön Sönam Lama]] (who is in fact skipped over here, although he is named in the [[Zurmang]] version). Then the well-known author [[Bengar Jampal Zangpo]] picked up the trope and continued it up through his guru, the [[Sixth Karmapa]], [[Tongwa Dönden]] (1416–1453). After that, the prayer in all its various forms came to be known simply as Bengar’s supplication. [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] himself must have continued the supplication style through to his teacher [[Pema Nyinje]] before the blocks were printed at Palpung. From [[Kongtrul]] on, the last stretch may have been added for the Shechen printing of the ''Treasury''. Variations of this style can also be found in the ''Kagyu Feast Liturgy'' and [[Kongtrul]]’s supplication ''Essence of Auspicious Renown'' in this volume, as well as in the popular Severance compilation known as ''Precious Garland'' (''[[Rin chen phreng ba]]''). +
Maitrīpa (986–1063)'"`UNIQ--ref-0000012F-Q … Maitrīpa (986–1063)'"`UNIQ--ref-0000012F-QINU`"' was a scholar and siddha whose mahāmudrāteachings had a major impact in Tibet, primarily through the teachings of his student Vajrapāṇi. Maitrīpa was, along with Nāropa, one ofMarpa Lotsāwa’s most important teachers. He began his Buddhist studies after being defeated in debate by Nāropa, whereupon he studied sūtrateachings with Nāropa for twenty years, Vajrayāna with Rāgavajra for fiveyears, 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 heset out to meet his guru Śavari. Once he found Śavari in the Śrī Parvatamountains in the south of India, Maitrīpa was instructed by him in a varietyof unconventional ways that eventually led to his full realization. Told byhis 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 Cycleon Amanasikāra (Nonattention),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000131-QINU`"' in which he blended the mahāmudrāteachings 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 realizedthrough 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 thetext does not use the term “mahāmudrā,” Jamgön Kongtrul explains in hisinterlinear note to the colophon that Marpa considered this text to be theprimary one of the Amanasikāra (Nonattention) Cycle that teaches view.Sahajavajra’s ''Extensive Commentary on the “Ten Stanzas on Suchness”'' is citedby Gö Lotsāwa in his ''Blue Annals'' as evidence that mahāmudrā was taughtwithin a Sūtra, or Pāramitā, context in India.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000134-QINU`"'The colophon of the ''Ten Stanzas on Suchness'' contained in ''The Treasury ofPrecious Instructions'' states that it was translated by Vajrapāṇi and Tsur YesheJungne,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000135-QINU`"' who were the first translators of the text before it was revised byTsultrim Gyalwa. Thus, this edition is not the one contained in the Tengyur,which is the one revised by Tsultrim Gyalwa. The text here also accordswith the root text used in Sahajavajra’s commentary, which was translatedby Vajrapāṇi, Kalyanavarma, and Tsur Jñānākara (Yeshe Jungne).''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Maitrīpa to the IndianVajrapāṇi, Ngari Nakpo Sherde, Lama Sotön, Nyangtön Tsakse, RoktönDewa, 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 GyalwangKarmapa, Chödrak Gyatso, the mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighthlord Mikyö Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, ChetsangKarma Tenkyong, the exalted Könchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso,the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje, Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious PawoTsuklak Chökyi Gyatso, and Jamgön Kongtrul.Another transmission was from Maitrīpa to the siddhā Tepupa, RechungDorje Drakpa, Burgom Nakpo, Pakdru Dorje Gyalpo, Gyalo Pukpa, Serdingpa Zhönu Drup, and the omniscient Chöku Özer, after whom it is asabove.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000136-QINU`"' is as above.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000136-QINU`"' +
Minling Lochen Dharmashrī, the Great Trans … Minling Lochen Dharmashrī, the Great Translator of Mindroling Monastery, was introduced at the beginning of the section of empowerments, all of which he composed. This final piece by him, also completed at Orgyen Mindroling Monastery, is a masterly commentary on all the practices found within the diverse praxis of Pacification of Suffering. Basing his work on various source texts that are not all available now, Dharmashrī attempts to portray a cohesive picture of the vast array of instructions that Dampa Sangye passed on to his disciples over the course of his many sojourns in Tibet. By its nature, this piece provides a kind of outline of the lines of teachings. It is almost certainly the source for Jamgön Kongtrul’s summary of this practice lineage in ''The Treasury of Knowledge''. Even so, we can see by the outline—which I have extracted and added—that there was much more, and that Dharmashrī had to make choices on what aspects to explain, although this may have been dictated by availabilityThough the number of visits Dampa Sangye made to Tibet is said to be somewhere between three and seven, depending on the writer, the generally accepted format for organizing his teachings is a division into three: the first or early transmission, the intermediary or middle transmission, and the later or last transmission. The middle transmission actually consists of three separate sets of lineage teachings. So in fact we have here five transmissions described by Dharmashrī.The first or early transmission (''bka’ babs dang po/snga ma'') consists of the teachings that Dampa passed on to his disciple from Kashmir, Jñānaguhya. Dharmashrī’s colophon to this section reports that it is based on the ''Cycles of Three Lamps'' (''sGron ma skor gsum'', often misspelled as ''sgrol ma gsum'', leading to the confusing translation of “Three [or Nine] Cycles of Tārā”). Though there are nine “lamps” in the Tengyur attributed to Kamalashrī (Dampa’s Indian name), this trilogy refers to the Lamps of Conduct, Path, and Mind (Toh. 2321–2323), which are said to contain, respectively, the teachings of the vinaya, abhidharma, and sutra. This, however, is not at all evident in those very brief lamps, nor in the commentary here. After the traditional preliminaries, the main practice consists of five instructions with the distinctive names Sky-Like, Vajra-Like, Lotus-Like, Elixir-Like, and WheelLike. Each of these instructions represents the condensed meaning of the teachings by eleven of Dampa Sangye’s fifty-five adept gurus. These five sets represent teachings on madhyamaka-like logic, vital-wind practices of the father tantras, bliss practices of the mother tantras, mahāmudrā instructions, and ḍākinī symbols, respectively. In other words, a very full and complete path, packed with esoteric techniques.The three middle transmissions (''bka’ babs bar ma'') are known as Ma, So, and Kam (''rma so skam''), based on the principal recipients’ place or clan names. Dampa Sangye gave Magom Chökyi Sherap (b. 1054) the teachings of awakening mind, the discourses, scattered teachings, and oral instructions. They consist of two sets of sixteen points each: the practical guides that introduce awareness and vital points that cut off misconceptions. Again, an altogether complete path covering all aspects of meditation techniques. Lochen Dharmashrī states that it is based on teachings by “the great sugata Rok,” and although there are several lineage holders bearing the name Rok, the assumption is that it refers to Rok Bande Sherap Özer (1166–1244), the most important Rok in Pacification.The second system was given to Sochung Gendun Bar (1062–1128), who met the above Magom at an early age. This again is said to consist of the instructions of the fifty-five (or -four) male and female adepts and is described as “instructions on the naked perception of awareness.” After the preliminary practices, the main parts are divided according to the classic graded-path formula of teachings for superior, average, and lesser practitioners. Here there are multiple methodologies for recognizing pure awareness and introducing the nature of mind. The use of special yogic gazes is emphasized, as elsewhere in Dampa’s teachings, and there are more unusual esoteric techniques. The concluding topics include useful advice for resolving obstacles in practice, such as dullness and agitation. A set of eight “clinchers,” or topics on applying practice in specific circumstances, is also presented. Dharmashrī mentions two names as his source for these instructions: Palden Sönam of Dingri and Khyapdak Paljor Puntsok. Though both of these names appear in the later lineage (rather than the middle), the exact source books have not been located.The third system was transmitted to Kamtön Yeshe Gyaltsen (d. 1119) and is called “the guide to the essential meaning of the perfection of wisdom.” Unlike the previous two, this instruction is short and basic, and entirely exoteric. It consists of practices commonly considered preliminaries, with nothing really touching on the perfection of wisdom. Dharmashrī explains that the main guidance manuals of this tradition have been lost, with only the preliminaries remaining. He states very generally that he has composed it based on “the old writings.”The later or last transmission (''bka’ babs phyi ma'') was passed on to the four “gatekeeper yogins,” most particularly to Bodhisattva Kunga (1062–1124), regarded as Pa Dampa Sangye’s principal disciple and heir. It is to this person and his immediate successors that we owe the preservation of many of Dampa’s teachings. These were transmitted in three main instructions: “The White Guide, which concentrates solely on mind training on the path; the Red Guide, which concerns the practice of five or three paths; and the Black Guide, which produces realization of the science of letters.” But it is only the Red Guide that is explained here and wherever else the later transmission is discussed. There is little to be found on the White and Black Guides. The Red Guide describes a detailed process whereby a practitioner passes through five or three spiritual paths. These paths have the familiar names from the Indian commentarial tradition, but with distinctive formulas and explanations. They are (1) mind training on the path of accumulation; (2) austerities on the path of application; (3) subsequent conduct on the path of seeing; (4) equal taste on the path of meditation; and (5) freedom from action on the ultimate path. Unlike their Indian counterparts, these “paths” seem to describe a more achievable progression that a determined individual might actually experience if she followed these instructions. Jamgön Kongtrul confirms the uniqueness of this formulation: “This path did not occur previously in India and Tibet but is the special teaching of Dampa Rinpoche.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"'Lochen Dharmashrī’s explanation of the Red Guide follows closely on an early text by All-Knowing Sönam Pal (1217–1277), a revised version of which is the next text in this volume. But he has apparently added a supplemental section with some interesting techniques to deal with problems that may arise in practice, ways to enhance experience by vital points, and instructions on utilizing devotion and mantra.'''Notes''''"`UNIQ--references-0000000A-QINU`"'es''' '"`UNIQ--references-0000000A-QINU`"' +
Nāropa (c. 956–1040), the famous student o … Nāropa (c. 956–1040), the famous student of Tilopa and renownedguru of the Tibetan Marpa, was born in Kashmir.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000083-QINU`"' The Tibetanaccounts present the sequence of the major events in his life in differentorders. One of the earliest biographies, by Gampopa, states that Nāropamet and trained with Tilopa, and later in life took up the position of thenorthern gatekeeper at Nalanda monastery.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000084-QINU`"' Later biographies, which arethe more well-known ones, say that he began his Buddhist studies in Kashmir and became a monk after separating from his wife Vimalā. Then hewent to study at Nalanda monastery, where he had an illustrious scholasticcareer that culminated in being installed as the northern gatekeeper. Nāroparemained there as an eminent scholar until he was urged by a ḍākinī to seekinstruction on the ultimate meaning from the mahāsiddha Tilopa. Following a period of training with Tilopa, which included a series of twelve major and twelve minor hardships, he attained full realization. He then went toPullahari (also known as Puṣpahari) in Magadha (central India), which iswhere Marpa Lotsāwa met him and where this song was sung.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000085-QINU`"'''Summary Verses on Mahāmudrā'' is not included in the Tengyur. A textof the same name and almost identical content, attributed to Maitrīpa, isfound in volume 8 of The Treasury of Precious Instructions.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000086-QINU`"' The text in this volume contains headings included in the form of interlinear notes insertedby the second Shamarpa, Khachö Wangpo (1350–1405), which have beenincorporated into the translation as headings. The translation is primarilybased on Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s Short, Lucid Commentary with asecondary reliance on the Interlinear Commentary on “Summary Verses onMahāmudrā” from the Aural Scrolls of the Translator Marpa Lotsāwa (Interlinear Marpa 2009) and the interlinear notes within Summary Verses on Mahāmudrā in the Paltsek edition of his Collected Works (SVM Marpa2011).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000087-QINU`"'''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Nāropa to Marpa, and then the same as previously stated for the Ganges Mahāmudrā.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000088-QINU`"'s Mahāmudrā. '"`UNIQ--ref-00000088-QINU`"' +

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