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P
Phyag rgya chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i ’khrid kyi ’chad thabs bla ma'i zhal lung bdud rtsi'i snang ba +
The existence of this text is a reminder that even if texts like the root verses and Notes on Resting in the Nature of Mind were available in Tibet in book form, no practitioner would study them on their own without having them explained by a teacher, who would at the same time give the reading transmission (lung). In this text Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo provides advice on how to use Khyentse Wangchuk’s Notes—which he refers to as a guide or instruction manual (khrid yig)—to teach disciples and guide them on a daily basis as they try to put Mitrayogin’s pith instructions into practice. He describes how to teach the text over a period of three days, with instructions on what the disciples should do between each day of teaching. The additional information included here complements that in the Notes, making this text as useful a reference for students who have received the transmission as it is for the teacher. +
Nāropa (c. 956–1040), the famous student of Tilopa and renowned
guru of the Tibetan Marpa, was born in Kashmir.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000083-QINU`"' The Tibetan
accounts present the sequence of the major events in his life in different
orders. One of the earliest biographies, by Gampopa, states that Nāropa
met and trained with Tilopa, and later in life took up the position of the
northern gatekeeper at Nalanda monastery.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000084-QINU`"' Later biographies, which are
the more well-known ones, say that he began his Buddhist studies in Kashmir and became a monk after separating from his wife Vimalā. Then he
went to study at Nalanda monastery, where he had an illustrious scholastic
career that culminated in being installed as the northern gatekeeper. Nāropa
remained there as an eminent scholar until he was urged by a ḍākinī to seek
instruction 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 to
Pullahari (also known as Puṣpahari) in Magadha (central India), which is
where 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 text
of the same name and almost identical content, attributed to Maitrīpa, is
found 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 inserted
by the second Shamarpa, Khachö Wangpo (1350–1405), which have been
incorporated into the translation as headings. The translation is primarily
based on Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s Short, Lucid Commentary with a
secondary reliance on the Interlinear Commentary on “Summary Verses on
Mahāmudrā” 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 Marpa
2011).'"`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`"'
R
Rgya gar gyi grub thob chen po dam pa rgya gar ram dam pa sangs rgyas zhes pa'i gsung mgur zhal gdams ding ri brgyad cu pa +
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`"'
This text'"`UNIQ--ref-000009B1-QINU`"' is characterized in the Kundeling printing of the'' Treasury'' as “notes on the lectures of Venerable Jonang [[Tāranātha]],” and it follows directly upon the initiation text by [[Tāranātha]], ''Object Severance Empowerment Known as Opening the Sky Door''. These notes, arranged by an unnamed compiler, fill in some of the seemingly missing parts of the empowerment ritual, such as the preliminary tormas, supplications, mantras, and other recitations.
The source of the Severance tradition that [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] inherited from [[Tāranātha]] and [[Kunga Drölchok]] is the visionary [[Samten Özer]] of [[Gyaltang]].'"`UNIQ--ref-000009B2-QINU`"' [[Samten Özer]] was a recipient of both the long lineage (''ring brgyud'') of Severance, which he received on five separate occasions, and a direct lineage (''nye brgyud'') from visionary encounters with [[Machik Lapdrön]]. His remarkable experiences are recounted in ''Nectar of Meaning of the Profound Severance of Evil'','"`UNIQ--ref-000009B3-QINU`"' where he declares himself to be basically identical to [[Machik]]. This direct encounter engendered a lineage of teachings that became known as the [[Gyaltang]] tradition (''[[rgyal thang lugs]]''). It spread widely, particularly in the Jonang, [[Shangpa]], and [[Kagyu]] traditions. +
''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 text
included from the Kangyur. ''The Unsullied State'' is part of the Cakrasaṃvara
cycle and is the last of the thirty-two Rali tantras, the only one of that cycle
that 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 that
does not seem to exist at this time. ''The Unsullied State'' is also included in the
Ten Dharmas of Mahāmudrā, a collection Gö Lotsāwa says was transmitted
to Tibet by the eleventh-century Indian master Vajrapāṇi,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' which, as Roger
Jackson 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 it
does in other tantras, such as the ''Hevajra Tantra, Cakrasaṃvara, Kālacakra,
Guhyasamāja,'' and the ''Name-Chanting of Mañjuśrī''), as the interlinear note
at the end of this edition says, this text states and connects the elements of
the elaborate practices with mahāmudrā, unelaborate suchness.
In Maitrīpa’s biography it is said that Śavaripa “spoke a few words” about
this text, which is called space-like, along with the ocean-like ''Guhyasamāja
Tantra,'' 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 to
Vajrapāṇi, continued through the seventh Karmapa and is the one Jamgön
Kongtrul 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, the
mahāsiddha 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, Lotsāwa
Chokden, 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, Che
Yönten, 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 Tsultrim
Gönpo, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Khenchen Sönam Zangpo, Gośrī
Paljor Döndrup, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso, the
mahāsiddha Sangye Nyenpa, the eighth lord Mikyö Dorje, Karma Lekshe Drayang, Gelong Dorje Chö, Chetsang Karma Tenkyong, the exalted Könchok Tenzin, Jamgön Sungrap Gyatso, the omniscient Tenpai Nyinje,
Gyalwang Dudul Dorje, the glorious Pawo Tsuklak Chökyi Gyatso, and
Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'
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]]'').
This text is composed of four sections, or short texts: “The Illumination of Entities,” “The Clarification of Ignorance,” “The Purification of Thoughts,” and “Mahāmudrā: Pointing-Out Instructions Illuminating Wisdom.”'"`UNIQ--ref-0000068F-QINU`"' The fourth is an abbreviated version of ''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom'' (''DNZ'' 7:12).
The first three sections draw on Tilopa’s ''Truly Valid Words'', quoting (without attribution) at least forty-one lines either verbatim or closely enough to consider ''Truly Valid Words'' to be the source, or inspiration, of Milarepa’s
lines. There is not, however, a sequential correspondence between the two
texts, and the majority of the “quoting” is done in the first two sections, “The
Illumination of Entities” and “The Clarification of Ignorance.” As discussed
above, much of Nāropa’s ''Authoritative Texts in Verse'' is drawn from ''Truly
Valid Words'', and therefore there is a corresponding overlap with Milarepa’s
text, with (at least) two lines in Milarepa’s text being found only in Nāropa’s
Authoritative Texts.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000690-QINU`"'
The first two sections of ''The Three Cycles''—“The Illumination of Entities” and “The Clarification of Ignorance”—end with colophons stating
that they were passed from Milarepa to Gampopa, referring to him by his
family name Nyiwa, while the other two sections make no mention of their
transmission or circumstances. The first colophon also states that “The Illumination of Entities” was passed from Gampopa to Lhopa Rinpoche (also known as Layakpa Jangchup Ngödrup),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000691-QINU`"' and then to “me,” with an interlinear note indicating that “me” refers the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa.
No other editions of this text specifically have been located. However, a
nearly identical text called the Eighteen Questions is found in the Drukpa
Kagyu tradition, preserved in three collections: Old Texts of Mixing
and Transference compiled by Pema Karpo and the two editions of the
Drukpa Kagyu Great Treasury of Dharma. The Eighteen Questions contains
instructions given by Milarepa to Rechungpa called “Clarification of Ignorance,” “Extracting the Nails That Are Vital Points,” and “Clarification of Delusion.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000692-QINU`"'
Based on the overall similarity of ''The Eighteen Questions'' and ''The Three
Cycles'', we can say that ''The Eighteen Questions'' must represent a different
transmission of almost identical teachings. Nevertheless, there are some significant differences between the two texts. Structurally, although the colophon of ''The Eighteen Questions'' says it contains three sets of instructions,
the text is not divided into sections like ''The Three Cycles'' (which could be
considered four separate texts under one collection title). Other differences
are that ''The Eighteen Questions'' begins with the occasion and location of the
teachings and a list of the eighteen questions asked to Milarepa; the line
order of the two texts is very different; and ''The Eighteen Questions'' contains
quotations from other texts, mainly tantras, something not found in ''The
Three Cycles''. Both texts contain teachings that the other does not.
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, and then the same as previously stated for the ''Ganges Mahāmudrā''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000693-QINU`"'
''The Root Text for Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom'', the
first of several texts by Milarepa in this anthology, is a slightly longer
prose version of the last section, or short text, included in the ''Three Cycles
of Illumination and Other Instructions'' found later in this volume.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000098-QINU`"' This text
begins with verses that recount Milarepa’s lineage and way of practicing, as
does 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 that
this text is the source text for other instructions with similar titles. Volume
8 of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'' contains two texts with similar
titles: in the Rechung Aural Transmission, ''Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of
Wisdom in the Saṃvara Aural Transmission'''"`UNIQ--ref-0000009A-QINU`"' and, in the Ngamdzong Aural
Transmission, ''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`"' +
Rje btsun ras chung pa'i lugs kyi dpal 'khor lo sdom pa snyan brgyud gyi gzhung chung til+li pas mdzad pa +
Tilopa’s ''Short Text'' is considered, along with the ''Vajra Verses'', to
expound the meaning of the Cakrasaṃvara tantras, which are the root
of the Saṃvara Aural Transmission. Pema Karpo refers to ''The Short Text'' as
a commentary on the ''Vajra Verses'','"`UNIQ--ref-000006A8-QINU`"' and given that the ''Vajra Verses'' are purported to be the words of Vajradhara and this is Tilopa’s rendering of those teachings, in that sense it may be a commentary. However, it does not serve
as a line-by-line explanation of the ''Vajra Verses''; it is more a companion text.
The topics of the two texts are the same as can be seen from the following
topical outline, drawn from Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden’s commentary
on ''The Short Text''.
:Homage (1)
:Commitment to the Composition (2)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Lineage
::Tilopa’s story (3–4)
::The qualifications for gurus (5)
::The qualifications for disciples (6)
::The way to listen to the explanation (7–8)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Maturing Path (9–15)
:Wish-Fulfilling Gems of the Liberating Path
::Overview (16)
::Shared Wish-Fulfilling Gems (practices connected to the vase abhiṣeka)*'"`UNIQ--ref-000006A9-QINU`"'
:::The Sovereigns: Unchanging Dharmatā (17–25)
:::The Ministers: Three Types of Actions (26)
::::The People: The Conducive Activities (27–28)
::Samaya Wish-Fulfilling Gems (29–32)
::Abiding-State Wish-Fulfilling Gems
:::Six Dharmas: Liberation through the Upper Door†'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AA-QINU`"' (33–51)
::::Caṇḍālī (33–44)
::::Illusory Forms (45–48)
::::Dreams (49)
::::Luminosity (50–51a)
::::Transference (51b)
::::Entering a Body (52)
:::The Ḍākinī’s Secret Proclamation: Great Bliss Liberation through the Lower Door (53–62)
:::Mahāmudrā: The Illumination of Wisdom (63–66)
:::The Instructions on the Bardos (67–74)
:::The Instructions for the Path: Transforming All Activities into Accumulations (75–82)
:::Dispelling Hindrances: Universal Instructions (83–92)
::The Summary: Abandoning the Causal Yāna and Engaging in the Resultant Yāna (93–100)
:Dedication and Completion of Composition (101–3)
''The Short Text'', with twenty-one syllables per line in Tibetan, is dense and
cryptically written, and thus can only be understood with commentary.
This translation relies primarily on the commentaries by Maṇikaśrījñāna
(1289–1363, also known as Drikung Lotsāwa and Gyal Khampa Lotsāwa)
and Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden. It has been annotated more than other
texts in this volume because of its importance and relative obscurity and to
provide some insight into the translation decisions.
Maṇikaśrījñāna studied Sanskrit grammar and poetics with Butön
Rinchen Drup at Zhalu monastery and then Sanskrit grammar and Indian
languages under the Indian paṇḍita Dvaṣṭanakara at Drikung monastery
(hence his name Drikung Lotsāwa). He received teachings on the perfectionprocess practices of the six dharmas of Nāropa and those of Niguma and on mahāmudrā from the abbot of Drikung and was later appointed abbot himself. It must be that he also received the Saṃvara Aural Transmission while at Drikung monastery. Assuming his birth date of 1289 is accurate, since he
composed his commentary in an Earth Pig year, that would be 1360, making
it the earliest available commentary. Maṇikaśrījñāna is most well known for
being one of the foremost students of Dolpopa Sherap Gyaltsen.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AB-QINU`"'
Jadrel Ritröpa Tsultrim Palden is a member of the transmission lineage
coming from Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507), as he was a student of Sönam
Lodrö (c. seventeenth century), a direct student of Tsangnyön Heruka. In
his colophon, he states that his commentary is “in keeping with the teachings of the scholar-siddha with the name of Sönam,” indicating that this commentary belongs to the tradition received and passed on by Tsangnyön
Heruka, who played a vital role in preserving and promulgating the Saṃvara
Aural Transmission, both through his composition of texts and through
forming a collection of Aural Transmission texts.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AC-QINU`"'
''Transmission lineage received by Jamgön Kongtrul''. Vajradhara to Jñānaḍākinī,
Vajrapāṇi, Tilopa, Nāropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Rechungpa, Khyung Tsangpa,
and to the latter’s three heart children Martön Tsultrim Jungne, Lopön
Targom, and Machik Ongjo (known as the three accomplished heart
children). Zhang Lotsāwa received the transmission from those three and
passed it to Drogön Dharaśrī, Jangsem Sönam Gyaltsen, Machik Kunden
Rema, Khetsun Ziji Gyaltsen, Wangchuk Sherap, Ritröpa Zhönu Gyaltsen,
Rechen Denchikpa, Tsenden Lachipa, Dulzin Ngaki Wangpo, Shara Rapjampa Sangye Senge, Tsangnyön Chökyi Senge, Götsang Rechen, and from
him to the three Rapjams: Nepa Rapjampa Jampa Puntsok, Rapjam Karma
Tashi, and Rapjam Sangye Özer. The omniscient Drupchok Wangpo
received it from all three of them and passed it to Tinle Gyatso, Kagyu
Drönme, Yönten Gyatso, Chöje Lingpa, Wangpo, Yeshe Kalzang, Palden
Gyatso, Geupa Ngedön Tenzin Chökyi Gyatso, Tutop Gyatso, Kharakpa
Rinchen Özer, Geu Kagyu Tinle Wangchuk, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo,
and Jamgön Kongtrul.'"`UNIQ--ref-000006AD-QINU`"'
Rje rang byung rdo rjes mdzad pa'i gdon tshogs dgu ma sa bdag drug sbyor dang mi bskyod rdo rjes mdzad pa'o gdan thog gcig ma gcod tshigs bcad ma gnyis gab sprad nas lus sbyin dang bsngo ba po bya tshul bltas chog 'don 'grigs +
[[Karma Chakme]], also known as [[Rāga Asya]] (1613–1678), cobbled together this ritual liturgy from writings attributed to [[Karmapa Rangjung Dorje]] (1284–1339) and [[Karmapa Mikyö Dorje]] (1507–1554). With some three hundred years of [[Karma Kagyu]] Severance masters behind him, the great [[Kamtsang]] master was free to borrow what he needed to form this practice, which he geared toward a healing ritual. Although such borrowing is widespread throughout Tibetan literature, it seems to be particularly common in the Severance tradition, whose prayers and liturgies would get recycled to align with the various traditions into which they were absorbed.
In this text, [[Mikyö Dorje]]’s “poem” comes first. This is available in several other editions—for example, in a collection of recitation texts from [[Palpung Monastery]] (seat of the [[Karma Kagyu]] [[Tai Situ]] incarnations in Kham), where it is called simply ''Profound Severance Guide'' (''[[gCod khrid zab mo]]'').'"`UNIQ--ref-000004AD-QINU`"' All the liturgical sections in the first five pages in our text are from [[Mikyö Dorje]], with [[Karma Chakme]] dividing it into parts and adding useful descriptions and instructions. The poem is reproduced accurately, with one notable exception: wherever [[Mikyö Dorje]] has the name of his own guru, [[Sangye Nyenpa]] ([[Sangs rgyas mnyan pa]], 1445/57–1510/25), [[Karma Chakme]] has substituted the name of the [[Second Karmapa]], [[Karma Pakshi]] (1204–1283). Perhaps [[Karma Chakme]] preferred to identify the source of the lineage as the great master of the early days of the [[Karma Kagyu]] so that it would be more widely relevant and familiar to future practitioners. [[Karma Pakshi]] is legendary, though not known as a teacher of Severance.
[[Karma Chakme]] then adds a white and a black distribution that he attributes to [[Könchok Bang]], but he renders them into verse to facilitate recitation. In the colophon he further states that these are the only parts of the liturgy that he has tampered with; all other sections remain true to the originals.
If that is so, then the rest of the liturgical sections until almost the end must be from [[Rangjung Dorje]], although a separate text of those practices is not found in his extensive collected works. They are, however, found within many other Severance texts. For example, this Six Earth Lord Application liturgy can be found verbatim in ''Source of All Qualities'' in the present volume (see chapter 22), where it is identified as “Lord [[Rangjung Dorje]]’s short calling of the pestilent spirits” (''gnyan ’bod thung''). Most of the Ninefold Spirit Feast is also found in [[Karma Chakme]]’s ''Pearl Rosary'' (see chapter 21). According to [[Karma Chakme]], the Ninefold Spirit Feast and Six Earth Lord Application are to be done for particularly severe illnesses. Therefore, one visualizes one’s consciousness in the form of the black wrathful [[ḍākinī]] [[Krodhīkālī]] ([[Khros ma nag mo]]) rather than the usual form of [[Vajravārāhī]]. He also describes the six and nine sets of spirits (which overlap somewhat) and the specific ailments and problems that are cured by feeding each group. After the dissolution, the text ends with the final prayers again from [[Mikyö Dorje]]’s poem, including [[Karma Chakme]]’s own pointing-out instructions, which will ultimately liberate the practitioner and the patient together.
''Mahāmudrā: Path of a Single Stride'' is not included in Gampopa’s
Collected Works and nothing seems to be known of its provenance
other than that its colophon says that Gampopa transmitted it to Dusum
Khyenpa.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AA-QINU`"' This text, in a few words, describes, as its title says, “the path of
a 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 practitioner
attains realization all at once based on mahāmudrā pith instructions. The
concise and often paradoxical style of the text, while clear on its own, lends
itself 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`"' +
S
This prayer to each of the lineage holders of this teaching demonstrates Tibetan Buddhists’ veneration not only of the teachers but also of the places in which they lived or stayed. Most of the places mentioned here are situated in the regions around Tropu and Zhalu monasteries. Although Tibetan place names often have particular meanings—for example, Ripuk (ri phug), meaning mountain cave or hermitage—it has seemed more logical to retain the Tibetan names in most cases. Marginal notes in the Tibetan text appear to explain the locations of some of these sites. +
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. +
Sgrub brgyud shing rta chen po brgyad kun 'dus kyi bla ma mchod pa'i cho ga byin rlabs dngos grub yon tan kun gyi 'byung gnas +
This section contains a single text, a sādhana, written by Jamgön Kongtrul himself, venerating the teachers of the Eight Great Chariots. It appears in the first volume of the 2002 Shechen edition of his ''Treasury of Extensive Teachings'' (''rGya chen bka’ mdzod'') and the second volume of the 1975–1976 Paro edition, but not in the Kundeling printing of the Palpung edition of ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions'', nor does Kongtrul appear to mention it in his catalog. The colophon suggests that it was extracted from the (or a?) ''Treasury of Instructions'' (referred to simply as ''gdams mdzod'', presumably a contraction for the sake of meter of ''gdams ngag rin po che’i mdzod''), yet it is absent from the Palpung (Kundeling) edition of The Treasury of Precious Instructions. Did it form part of Kongtrul’s original ''Treasury of Precious Instructions'' and was it subsequently included in the ''Treasury of Extensive Teachings'' before being returned to the first collection? Its source is all the more mysterious for the fact that in all these editions, the colophon mentions the person who sponsored the printing, which would lead one to imagine that it might have been a stand-alone text at some point or was sponsored separately from the rest of the collection. Whatever the case, its inclusion in the Shechen edition immediately after the last of the fifteen volumes devoted to the eight principal lineages of Tibetan Buddhism could not be more appropriate. Far from being a “miscellaneous instruction” without any properly defined place in the other parts of the collection, it appears to have been inserted here as Kongtrul’s concluding homage to the masters of the lineages represented in the preceding volumes. This homage takes the form of a ritual of venerating the teacher (''bla ma mchod pa''), a genre based on the guru yoga or lama sādhana with expanded offering and praise and supplication sections. Kongtrul adapted a ritual veneration of the teacher written five centuries earlier by the Jonang translator Lodrö Palzang.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000317-QINU`"' In the sādhana, the principal masters of the eight lineages are grouped around the central figure of Guru Padmasambhava as described in the visualization section, which is followed by a long and detailed offering section and lineage prayer.
Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa gcod kyi gzhung dang man ngag mtha' dag gi yang bcud zab don thugs kyi snying po +
[[Jamgön Kongtrul]] gives the author of this text as Jamyang Gönpo ([['Jam dbyangs mgon po]], b. 1208, or 1196) in his catalogue of the ''Treasury of Precious Instructions'' called ''An Ocean of Auspicious Renown'' (f. 72a). "Heart Essence of Profound Meaning," however, seems to be a general name referring to a whole system of teachings in the Severance tradition, and a note was added at the end of this text stating as much. Kongtrul also writes of the inception of Heart Essence written down by [[Samten Özer]] of Gyaltang after a visionary experience of [[Machik Lapdrön]], which later became known as the direct lineage of the Gyaltang system (TOK, vol. I, p. 545). A collection of texts transmitted by Samten Özer, however, is differently entitled ''Cycle of Profound Severance of Evil (bDud gcod zab mo'i skor)'', and this is not among them. In a rare collection of ancient works on Severance entitled ''Practices of the Severance Collection, and So Forth (gCod tshogs kyi lag len sogs)'' from Limi monastery, this same text is signed "the Shakya monk, holder of the vajra, Prājñasambhava," a Sanskrit translation of Jamyang Gönpo's ordination name, Sherap Jungne (Shes rab 'byung gnas). The brief summary of the work is similarly signed "the Shakya monk, holder of the vajra, Mañjughoṣanatha," translating Jamyang Gönpo. According to Dan Martin ([https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Jamyang-Gonpo/6672 The Treasury of Lives]), a brief biography of Jamyang Gönpo is found in PPKT (pp. 137-138) with a list of 11 titles of his works, mainly on Severance, even though his main affiliation was with the Lower Drukpa lineage. Born in the borderlands between Upper and Lower Nyang (myangs) valleys, he studied with the master Urepa (sLob dpon dBus ras pa) and Zhikpo Kunseng (Zhig po Kun seng) from the age of six. After his mother died when he was fourteen he entered the monastery at Serding (gSer sding) and was ordained under Lama Martön (Mar ston). His main teacher was Lorepa Wangchuk Tsondru (Lo ras pa dbang phyugs brtson 'grus, 1187-1250).
<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. +
''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. +
The author of ''Pure Honey'', the commentary to [[Brahmin Āryadeva]]’s ''Grand Poem'' (see chapter 1), is named in the colophon as Kunga Paljor. Tashi Chöpel’s ''Record of Teachings Received'' gives his full name as Drung Sarupa Kunga Paljor (Drung Sa ru pa Kun dga’ dpal ’byor) and states that [[Kongtrul]] received the cycle of empowerments and transmissions of all the source scriptures directly from [[Machik Lapdrön]] in a visionary experience.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000540-QINU`"' “Drung” may indicate the Trungpa lineage, and “Saru” appears to be a place name, since in Kongtrul’s catalog his immediate predecessor in the lineage of transmission of Brahmin Āryadeva’s text is called the Great Adept of Saru, Sönam Paljor.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000541-QINU`"' The latter was active in the fifteenth century, which gives us an approximate date for Kunga Paljor. He is quoted from an unknown source in ''Collected Histories of the Glorious Zurmang Kagyu'' to support the theory that Severance is based on the teachings of buddha nature (''sugatagarbha'') as well as those of the perfection of wisdom, despite his own classification of it as a middle-turning teaching in ''Pure Honey''.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000542-QINU`"' Other than this, and that according to Kongtrul he also authored the commentary to an important text attributed to Machik called ''A Hair’s Tip of Wisdom'' (see chapter 6), not much information has been discovered. Yet these two commentaries together provide important supplemental material to the source texts of Severance collected in ''The Treasury of Precious Instructions''.
'''Notes'''
'"`UNIQ--references-00000543-QINU`"' +
Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i man ngag gcod kyi gzhung shes rab skra rtse'i sa gzhung spel ba rin po che'i gter mdzod +
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. +
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`"'